The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is set to attract huge crowds on 1 March. Credit: AAP Over 11,000 participants are expected to descend on Sydney's streets on Saturday Mardi Gras organisers are preparing for a "leaner" parade this year after last year's event saw a drop in attendance from an expected 250,000 to a reported 120,000. The Mardi Gras parade will start on the northern end of Oxford Street, Darlinghurst at about 7pm, moving through Flinders Street before finishing at Anzac Parade, Moore Park at about 11pm. The highlight of Mardi Gras, as always, will be the annual parade that lights up Oxford Street and the surrounding area on Saturday evening. What time does the parade start? The parade will The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade will be held on Saturday night. ( ABC News: Mridula Amin ) The parade dates back to 1978, when homosexuality was still illegal in NSW. The 78ers have opened every parade since Mardi Gras started. ( ABC News: Victoria Pengilley ) It wouldn't be Mardi Gras without Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore and MP Alex Greenwich sitting on Parade Schedule: 6:45 PM: Smoking Ceremony and Dykes on Bikes; 7:30 PM: Parade Start (Hyde Park) 11:00 PM: Parade End (Moore Park) Accessibility Information: For detailed accessibility information, please refer to the Sydney Mardi Gras website. Visual Story: (Link to be added when available) Map: (Link to be added when available) Planning Your Although the parade route only takes 30 minutes to complete, official festivities will begin at 6:45pm and end at 11pm. There will be a traditional Indigenous smoking ceremony before the parade starts. The 47th annual Sydney Mardi Gras parade features an incredible amount of diversity (photo: Sydney Mardi Gras). Best Mardi Gras Parade Viewing Areas We're not free until we're all free to be. The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is set to take over Oxford Street, Flinders Street and Anzac Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Set your true self free as the Mardi Gras magic makes it's way down the heritage-listed Parade route for one of the largest LGBTQIA+ nighttime parades in the world. PLAN YOUR PARADE EXPERIENCE. Location: Oxford Street, Flinders Street, Anzac Parade Parade – Sydney CBD, Darlinghurst, Moore Park and surrounds. Date: Saturday 1 March 2025 All Mardi Gras Parade attendees, including ticketholders to Taylor Square Takeover, Accessible Viewing Area, Sideshow and Club Cindy are encouraged to plan their trip to and from Parade before heading out on Saturday 1 The 47th annual Sydney Mardi Gras parade features an incredible amount of diversity (photo: Sydney Mardi Gras). Best Mardi Gras Parade Viewing Areas. There are four main ticketed viewing areas for the ultimate experience during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Taylor Square Takeover (presented by American Express) The highlight of Mardi Gras, as always, will be the annual parade that lights up Oxford Street and the surrounding area on Saturday evening. What time does the parade start? The parade will 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 Get those cameras ready because the parade kicks off at 6:30pm, featuring colourful floats designed after this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras theme: “Free to Be.” Make sure you’ve got some energy left for the massive Mardi Gras Party (photo: Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras). 11 PM: All roads lead to Hordern Pavilion Follow our live coverage as 10,000 marchers make their way down a crowd-lined Oxford Street for the 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. The 47th Sydney Mardi Gras Parade will take over Oxford Street (in the heart of Sydney’s gay-bourhood) on Saturday, March 1, and shimmy on down to Flinders Street and Anzac Parade. The Mardi Gras Parade. When: Saturday, March 1, 6:45pm to 11pm Where: Oxford St, Flinders St and Anzac Parade, Sydney Tickets: free, with tickets to special parade viewing areas, more info (some sold out) The Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is now in its 47th year and is the jewel in the crown of the two-week Mardi Gras festival. Sydney is set to be awash in glitter and colour as crowds hit the CBD for the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Revellers took to the streets ahead of the parade’s 7pm start time Sydney's Oxford Street was buzzing on Saturday night as thousands of revellers clapped, cheered and danced to celebrate the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade. More than 10,000 people marched with all The Mardi Gras parade will start on the northern end of Oxford Street, Darlinghurst at about 7pm, moving through Flinders Street before finishing at Anzac Parade, Moore Park at about 11pm.
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