As such that first Mardi Gras march was a major civil rights milestone beyond the gay community. Up to 3,000 people marched in an incident-free parade in 1979. In 1980 a key new element was introduced – the post-parade party. The face of the modern Mardi Gras we know today was taking shape. 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. Sydney Mardi Gras timeline. 1969 Police raided popular gay bar Stonewall Inn in New York. 1978 First Australian Mardi Gras – 53 people arrested. Most charges eventually dropped, The Sydney Morning Herald published the names, occupations and addresses of those arrested in full, outing many and causing some to lose their jobs. Mardi Gras took on tremendous significance. AIDS activist Bill Whittaker noted, that ‘many of us know people who just wanted to live until one more Mardi Gras, it was so important in their lives. And they did, and still do’. 2. Sydney Mardi Gras today. Mardi Gras has grown to be one of the major events of the Sydney calendar. The 78ers are a group of LGBTIQ+ activists who marched in the original Sydney Mardi Gras on 24 June 1978. The Mardi Gras parade will start from Oxford Street in Darlinghurst at about 7pm on VIDEO: New footage of first Sydney Mardi Gras parade released. Thu 27 Feb Thursday 27 February Thu 27 Feb 2025 at 2:39am. Has Video Duration: 2 minutes 39 seconds. Watch 2m 39s. The first Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978 was held during the nine-year anniversary month of the Stonewall riots in New York. Photo: Sallie Colechin Diane Minnis and Kate Harrison were among an "upswell of activism" in the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 1978. Five thousand people took part in the second Gay Mardi Gras on a bitterly cold Saturday night of 30th June 1979 – and there were no arrests. Without the police attack on the first Mardi Gras, there may not have been a second one. The second Mardi Gras in 1979 was accompanied by a fair, film festival and street march. Today marks 46 years since the first Sydney Mardi Gras. On a cold winter day in 1978 hundreds of pioneers - our beloved 78ers - took to the streets for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, women and the First Nations communities. That day changed the course of LGBTQIA+ rights in Australia forever. Decades later we Though the fight for equality would take decades - and is still very much continuing today - the second Mardi Gras held in Sydney in 1979, this time officially a parade, was attended by 3000 Mardi Gras is traditionally celebrated on “Fat Tuesday,” the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. In many areas, however, Mardi Gras has evolved into a week-long festival. Mardi Mardi Gras (UK: / ˌ m ɑːr d i ˈ ɡ r ɑː /, US: / ˈ m ɑːr d i ɡ r ɑː /; [1] [2] also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. [3] In 2025, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will take place from 14 February to 2 March 2025. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will happen on Saturday, 1 March 2025. Article continues below How did Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras first start off? The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was a spontaneous protest march held Revellers have filled Sydney’s Oxford St for the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night, however all eyes will be peeled for a surprise appearance from pop princess Some highlights include the Order of Myths parade, the oldest Mardi Gras parade in the country, and the King’s Supper, a formal banquet held on the eve of the Mardi Gras carnival. Sydney, Australia. Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the world’s largest and most colorful celebrations. 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 official dates for the Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 festival season will be February 14, 2025, to Sunday, March 2, 2025 The Mardi Gras season kicks off with Fair Day, which will be held on Sunday, February 16. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) is an LGBTQIA+ not-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and Festival and several other events and supportive initiatives throughout the year. While the Sydney Mardi Gras festival pays homage to the theatrical origins of its name-sake festival, the attitude of celebration and indulgence, and the elements of Carnival, it is not a religious holiday but rather a way to promote LGBT culture and start political discourse around the discrimination the community faced. The first Sydney Mardi Gras was organised by Sydney’s Gay Solidarity Group on 24 June 1978 to commemorate Manhattan’s 1969 Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall protests were sparked by police harassment of a queer bar and are today widely regarded as the birth of the modern LGBTQ liberation movement.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() |