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 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 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 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 annual Mardi Gras Parade had 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 The 17-day celebration culminates in the world famous Sydney Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Community groups from around the country will gather on Oxford St, Flinders St, and Anzac Pde for the spectacular march, with their float concepts drawing on the 2025 theme, FREE TO BE . 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 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will take over Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade. As one of the largest LGBTQIA+ parades in the world, the event will feature over 200 floats, including those from Dykes on Bikes, LGBTQIA+SB First Nations communities, and the beloved 78ers—the activists who led the first Mardi Gras In 2025, Mardi Gras Festival runs from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, March 2 — with the Mardi Gras Parade itself falling on Saturday, March 1 in 2025. Where does Mardi Gras take place in Sydney? 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) When is Sydney Mardi Gras in 2025? This year, Sydney Mardi Gras falls on Friday, February 14 until Sunday, Mar 2, 2025. When is the Sydney Mardi Gras parade in 2025? The main event of Mardi Gras is the parade. This year, the 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is set to take over Oxford Street, Flinders Street and Anzac Parade 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. 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 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 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras returns for a spectacular 2025 season full of parades, parties, and show-stopping performances. This year, the Mardi Gras theme is ‘free to be’, honouring the decades-long fight for equality and celebrating a future of visibility and acceptance for Australia’s queer community. When is the 2025 Sydney Mardi Gras? The festival is being held from February 14 to March 2, with this year’s theme, “free to be”, inspiring events, floats and revellers throughout the fortnight. 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
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