Bring your rainbows…
Celebrating Mardi Gras in Sydney should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s by far one of the most fabulously fantastic events in the world, and will leave you with nothing but love in your heart, and glitter in your hair.
On March 4th, 2017, over 300,000 people from all over the world came together to witness this incredible spectacle, and I must admit, it’s one of the most amazing parades I’ve ever experienced. As a person who attends a lot of music festivals around the world, I’m always on the hunt for good vibes and a loving / accepting atmosphere, and that’s exactly what I found in Sydney during Mardi Gras.
My night began by my taxi driver telling me to get out because that was as close as he could get to my requested destination. I couldn’t be upset about this though, as the entire area of Sydney practically shuts down during the parade, and I knew that I would have to walk to reach Taylor Square.
When I exited the cab, I could already see thousands of people flooding the streets in tutus, angel wings, and rainbow flags absolutely everywhere. People casually walking around with beers in their hands and ripping shots from liquor bottles (which was shocking because this rarely happens due to Sydney’s strict no open container laws). Needless to say, the party vibes were definitely strong on these Sydney streets!
After a rather difficult stroll along the crammed sidewalk along Oxford street, I made it to the Diamond Club (a ticketed venue with a private bar, prime-time viewing area, and comfortable seating for the parade).
The next 3.5 hours were simply spent chatting and dancing with new friends, drinking beer, and taking some photo’s of everyone’s incredible costumes and parade shenanigans. As I’ve said before, the entire night had such an incredible vibe.
Float after float after float…they just kept flowing from around the corner of Oxford Street, through Taylor Square, and continued down Flinders Ave. Between the meticulously decorated floats, you’d find hundreds of sparkly people dancing their choreographed routines, or carrying their various flags demonstrating their support and their pride.
A few of my favorites were the Canadian LGBTQ supporters, and the bus of Mature Age Gays! They were so fun! The clock struck 11 though, the parade had come to an end, and the streets slowly started to empty as the families started making their way home, and the rest made their way to their chosen after-parties.
Sydney Mardi Gras After-Party
After a quick pit-stop at my friends house to use the bathroom and have a quick snack, we began the short 10-minute walk to the Hordern Pavillion for the infamous after-party!
10 P.M – 8 A.M
“The Mardi Gras Party is one of the world’s biggest LGBTQI celebrations, and the perfect place to party after the parade. It’s a rite of passage for every LGBTQI person, and continues to be an amazing, inclusive and hedonistic party experience like no other.”
I’m not quite sure what I was even expecting, but I’ll tell that this party was insane, and definitely one of the craziest nights of partying and dancing I’ve had while in Sydney.
Two huge warehouse sized rooms, impressive sound systems bumping proper underground house music, and a sea of gorgeous and loving people all their for the same reasons. This was a festival, and a damn good one at that. It was also really refreshing to party in Sydney without having to worry about the “lock-out laws”, and celebrate Mardi Gras with a proper night out!
While I couldn’t stay as long as I normally would have due to having to wake up early to explore the New South Wales Coast…it was a night I’ll never forget, and a party I’d highly recommend!
This one-day of Mardi Gras festivities was honestly the highlight of the trip, and one of the main reasons I flew back to Sydney! It truly was one epic party, but also an important moment in history as hundreds and thousands of people gathered together to show their support for the LGBTQ community, and fight for marriage equality in Australia.
I mean, C’MON STRAYA! It’s 2017. How have you not legalized gay marriage yet…? Sydney is one of the best and gay friendly cities in the world, and it honestly baffles my brain wondering how there can be this massive of a Gay Pride event, without the country supporting marriage equality. Let’s hope the politicians in Australia can finally do something to make a positive change!
LOVE IS LOVE !!!
Start Planning For Next Year
2018 is going to be the 40th ANNIVERSARY, so you know they are going to be do it bigger and better than ever before!
While there are tons of events and festivities in the weeks leading up to the event, the Mardi Gras Parade and Party night will be Saturday 3 March, 2018.
All the Hotels & AirBNB’s get reserved months in advance, so you will need to plan ahead!
FLIGHT TIP – Sign-Up for the Qantas email list and be on the look-out for deals! They’ve got some great specials going on from the U.S to Sydney!
Thanks so much to Destination NSW for the tickets to these amazing events, and for being so helpful planning my visit to Sydney!
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF DESTINATION NSW & SYDNEY.COM
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