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The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ history and culture. [22]The term Mardi Gras derives from the celebration on Mardi (French for "Tuesday") when Gras (French for "fat") is eaten prior to the Christian abstinence period of Lent preceding Easter. Today, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of Australia’s most famous and well-loved events, bringing thousands of visitors to Sydney to join in the celebrations. It captures the imagination of Australia’s LGBTQI and mainstream communities, taking over the city for weeks on end, culminating in the world-famous Parade: a colourful and Learn how Sydney’s annual Mardi Gras started in 1978 as a protest for gay rights and evolved into the biggest LGBTQI festival in the world. Discover the milestones, challenges and achievements of the 40-year journey from the first arrests to the 2016 apologies. History of the event, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Robert Swieca, Judith O’Callaghan and Glynis Jones, Absolutely Mardi Gras: Costume and Design of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 1996. Graham Willett, Living out Loud: A History of Gay and Lesbian Activism in Australia, Allen & Unwin, 2000 This year the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade made its way along Oxford Street for the 40th year in a row. It was a typically loud, colourful and vibrant affair that mixed politics with The first Mardi Gras was a breakthrough in Australian civil rights history. Around 3,000 people marched in a peaceful parade the following year and the scene was set for the celebration we know and love today. NSW authorities apologised to LGBTIQA+ communities in 2016 for the harm caused. Ken Davis, activist co-chair of the first event, was there on the night that Australia's history changed forever. the second Mardi Gras held in Sydney in 1979, this time officially a parade The history of Sydney Mardi Gras: From 1978 to now, explore the interactive online timeline of Sydney Mardi Gras – featuring interviews, archival footage and all the magical and monumental moments from the past 46 years. In 1994 ‘Lucille Balls’ won first prize for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras costume award. History of LGBTQIA+ politics. In 2018 Mardi Gras marked its 40th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, the Museum hosted a thought-provoking discussion on LGBTQIA+ politics in Australia. The NFSA marks the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with recently discovered news file footage from the first Mardi Gras and subsequent lesbian and gay rights protests in Sydney in June 1978. Guest contributor Ken Davis , one of the organisers of the first Mardi Gras, recalls how the event came about and the 'Drop the Charges' campaign Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges that our events take place on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Sydney Basin. Samuel Barnett stars in this award-winning show, playing during the Sydney Mardi Gras (photo supplied). 4. Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen. The Sydney Opera House will be getting involved in the Sydney Mardi Gras this year by hosting this darkly comedic one-man show starring Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges that our events take place on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Sydney Basin. Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 is here! Free to party, free to celebrate, free to laugh, free to be Festival-favourites, revamped returns and new queens on the block join the line-up for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025! The Festival will wrap with the world famous Sydney Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Festival theme: Free to be The 2025 Festival theme Free to be is a celebration of the strides toward true LGBTQIA+ equality while also acting as a global reminder that our fight is far from over, and that we are not truly free until we are all free Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges that our events take place on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Sydney Basin. The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival returns from 14 February to 2 March 2025 with the theme FREE TO BE. Drinks and hospitality companies including Absolut, Brookvale Union, Applejack, Squealing Pig and Archie Rose are joining the celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, culture and community. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith It’s hard to imagine that the rich cultural festival and fabulous, world-famous parade began with a haphazardly organised street march that ended rather badly. On 24 June 1978, a chilly mid-winter’s day in Sydney, a crowd of up to 500 people – eventually swelling to around 2000 by 9.30pm – gathered in Darlinghurst’s Taylor Square to campaign for gay rights and commemorate the MobTix returns for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025, presented in partnership with ACON’s First Nations Health Programs. Sydney Mardi Gras is committed to working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to celebrate and elevate First Nations LGBTQIA+SB culture. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges that our events take place on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Sydney Basin.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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