World Pride was first hosted in Rome in 2003. Twenty years later, in 2023, it’s heading down under to sunny Sydney to join up with Sydney’s iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration. From February 17 to March 5, you’ll have the opportunity to watch fantastic live performances and party the nights away with world-class DJs. Everyone is welcome at the festival that promises to be one of the biggest and best Pride events of the year. Sign up for their newsletter to be the first to know when lineups are announced and when tickets go on sale.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney was held on a winter’s night in 1978. The night ended in violence when the police swept in to crack down on the community celebrating at a time when being gay was illegal. 1978 saw multiple protests and celebrations by the LGBTQ community as they pushed to become more visible and demand better rights. Being gay was legalised all across Australia by 1997 and same-sex marriage was legalised 20 years later in 2017. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been held every year since, and the colourful parades and performances continue to combine celebration and protest.
Arts event
This is a festival-long programme that plans to host more than 60 events including dance performances, drag shows, and art exhibitions. Ben Graetz, Daniel Clarke, and Lisa Freshwater will curate the event along with a team of curatorial associates to create a fantastic lineup of unmissable events.
Pink Salt
At The Station in Newcastle, you can experience an incredible dinner on the evening of Saturday, the 18th, with food prepared by a (currently secret) special guest queer chef, while surrounded by an outrageously camp decor and fabulous live entertainment. Newcastle is roughly two hours north of Sydney, so you can arrive in Newcastle on Saturday and then head down to Sydney in time for the Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday via car or train.
Mardi Gras Fair Day
The festivities will run all day at the Mardi Gras Fair Day in Victoria Park. You’ll find over 200 stores including retail, food and information stalls, shops offering free samples, and family-friendly picnic areas where you can set up for the day. Don’t miss events like the Doggywood pageant where adorable Sydney canines – adorned in rainbows, sparkles, and flowers – compete for the Best Dressed and Most Talented titles. The Mardi Gras Fair Day will get you buzzing for the weeks to come, and events like the mini Vogue Ball are a great taster of the events that will run throughout the festival.
Sports event
This will be held at various locations throughout the festival. Sports fans and players of all skill levels can choose to participate in or watch over 20 different sports, either for free or at a minimal cost. Whether you’re a massive football fan or you love battling it out in Roller Derby, you’ll find plenty of fun events running throughout the festival.
First Nations Gathering Space
Experience the creativity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at this six-day-long event that include works by artists from a range of disciplines. The event will be held in the Carriageworks converted train sheds in the inner-city suburbs of Eveleigh and Redfern. You’ll find distinct visual art, cutting-edge operatic performances, and wonderfully camp drag performances, including dine and drag events.
Pride Amplified
Pride Amplified is the festival’s open-access programme for a variety of LGBTQ events, including arts events, culture and community programs, and parties that will happen throughout the festival. There’ll be countless events and programmes running, including the POOF DOOF: Mardi Gras Long Luncheon on February 23, at 12 pm at Uccello, featuring keynote speakers, live performances, and a complimentary cocktail on arrival. Parties will include Stonewall International Welcome Party on the 23rd at 8:30 pm and Apollo: The Party on the 26th at 2 pm.
Pride Villages
Between February 24 and March 5 (excluding the 25th, the day of the Mardi Gras Parade), areas around Sydney’s beloved Oxford street will close to outside traffic, creating fabulous, free LGBTQ districts. Crown Street will transform into an entertainment area with a stage showcasing nightly performances with extended hours on weekends. Oxford Street will close during the final weekend of celebrations to host an amazing street party that will stretch from College Street to Flinders Street. You’ll get to experience stalls and dining experiences operating daily, along with incredible performances and a chance to connect with the local community, family, and friends.
Live and Proud: Sydney Opening Concert
The Live and Proud Opening Concert will be hosted on Friday, February 24, between 7 pm and 9 pm at The Domain, an outdoor concert venue in the Royal Botanic Gardens in the heart of Sydney. Choose from reserved seating close to the front of the general admission area where you can spread out with your picnic rug. The event doesn’t begin until 7 pm, but you can enter The Domain from 3 pm and start enjoying the on-site food and beverages.
Mardi Gras Parade
Sydney’s famous Mardi Gras Parade turns 45 and returns to its home in Sydney’s iconic gay strip, Oxford Street, with the theme “Gather, Dream, Amplify.” This will be the biggest event of the festival, with 12,500 marchers and over 200 floats, including Dykes on Bikes and the 78ers (those who took part in the first Sydney Mardi Gras) expected to head down Oxford Street in a celebration of love, self-expression, and visibility. You can experience Mardi Gras from the free viewing areas down on the street or from a number of premium viewing spaces, including the Diamond Club, a multi-tiered viewing platform near Taylor Square.
Mardi Gras Party
After you’ve seen the parade march down Oxford Street, you can keep the party going at the Mardi Gras Party, a massive event with dance floors in the Hordern Pavilion, Liberty Hall, and more. The biggest, longest-running LGBTQ party in the Southern Hemisphere knows how to put on an incredible night of DJing, pop-up performances, and immersive spaces across a range of venues.
Laneway
For many regular Mardi Gras attendees, the Mardi Gras Parade and the Laneway recovery party go hand in hand. Hosted at the Beresford Bar and Beer Garden in Surry Hills (a frequent host of drag events outside of Mardi Gras), you’ll find multiple dance floors, fantastic DJs, and incredible live performances both indoors and out on the street. This event sells out every year, so get your hands on tickets soon because this is one atmosphere you don’t want to miss.
Human Rights Conference
On March 1 to 3, the International Convention and Exhibition Centre will host the Asia-Pacific Region’s largest ever LGBTQ Human Rights Conference. The three-day conference aims to be an immersive, inspiring, and interactive event with panels, workshops, and networking events. The conference will focus on the central tenets of Community and Culture, Justice and Freedom, Health and Wellbeing, and Visibility and Inclusion. It is open to anyone aged 16 and up, and you may find yourself meeting and connecting with different kinds of people, from local community organisers to government policymakers.
Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert
Hosted by Steven “Faboriginal” Oliver, LGBTQ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artistry will be on full display at this two-hour concert. With traditional songs, stand-up comedy, pop performances, and ballroom showdowns, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It will be held at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, which sits on Tubowgule, where the Gadigal of the Eora Nation have feasted and held ceremonies for generations.
Ultra Violet
Head over to Sydney Town Hall for the ultimate event for LGBTQ women produced by Sveta Gilerman and Jess Hill. Bask in the creativity on display in the evening’s performance art, visual art, burlesque and cabaret. Dance the night away to electro-pop, ballroom, hip-hop, and disco at this welcoming and wonderful celebration.
Mardi Gras Laugh Out Proud
With three sold-out years under its belt, Mardi Gras Laugh Out Proud returns on March 3 to deliver more laughs than ever at the beautiful Enmore Theatre. The full lineup has yet to be announced, but you can be assured that you’ll get to see the very best of the queer comedy scene. Three sold-out years means it will be one of the most sought-after events of the festival, so book your tickets as soon as they go on sale.
Bondi Beach Party
Experience the Sydney icon transformed into a club for 12,000 people. The DJs keep the party going with camp pop hits blending into electro unity. Running from the early afternoon to late at night, you can dance until you drop by the sea.
Mardi Gras Sissy Ball
The Mardi Gras Sissy Ball returns to the Sydney Town Hall in 2023 for an event you won’t want to miss. If you’ve never experienced queer ball culture in person before, don’t worry — there’s no better place to start than here. Spend the evening of Saturday, March 4, watching incredible performers compete their hearts out as they work to earn the top titles. Curated by House of Slè godmother, Kilia Pahulu, the event will push each house’s Kings, Queens, and performers of all gender expressions to be bigger and better than ever before.
Pride March
Get ready to close the festival with a march and a party. Here, 50,000 people will don their brightest clothes and walk across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge in a statement of visibility and community. It will also celebrate the 45th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the 50th anniversary of Gay Pride, and the 5th anniversary of marriage equality in Australia. While it is intended to celebrate the advancements the LGBTQ community has made in Australia and around the world, it will also seek to acknowledge how far there is to go and make a powerful demand for equality everywhere.
Rainbow Republic
The Rainbow Republic party will be the last official event of the festival. Return to The Domain for the ultimate lineup of international and local queer acts that will have you dancing on as the festival ends. Make the most of the fantastic food outlets and brilliant bars as Sydney celebrates the end of this global event and passes the baton onwards to the next host city.
