{"id":509521,"date":"2026-02-28T10:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/509521\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T10:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:42:15","slug":"sydney-gay-and-lesbian-mardi-gras-parade-draws-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/509521\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade draws thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of people are lining along Sydney’s Oxford Street for this year’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.<\/p>\n

More than 150 floats are taking part in the parade alongside 9,000 marchers to dance, sing and bedazzle the two-kilometre route, which was recently heritage listed on its 48th anniversary<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony opened the parade, but it was the inaugural humming of engines from Dykes on Bikes that marked the start of this year’s Mardi Gras.<\/p>\n

Among the sea of leather and pride flags were keffiyehs and signs calling for a free Palestine.<\/p>\n

First Nations float Blak Joy followed bearing both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags made entirely of sequins.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 78ers, the pioneering LGBTQIA+ activists who participated in the inaugural Sydney Mardi Gras, march on Oxford Street. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The 78ers demonstrated against police violence. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

The 78rs, who took part in the very first parade, marched proudly, displaying a banner reading: “Stop Police Attacks on Gays women and Blacks.”<\/p>\n

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, went all out, leading her float aback an open-top luxury blue convertible, alongside independent MP Alex Greenwich.<\/p>\n

\"Clover<\/p>\n

Clover Moore travelled in style. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Lots of smiles on the parade route. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

As Trans Pride Australia reached Taylor Square, fireworks were set off from the roof top of queer institution Kinselas.<\/p>\n

With social cohesion the forefront of national debate, the Order of Perpetual Indulgence used their march to make a political statement.<\/p>\n

\"Men<\/p>\n

The Order of Perpetual Indulgence used the parade to denounce right-wing groups. (ABC News: Miriah Davis)<\/p>\n

Dressed as nuns while donning signs of jailed Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell sucking a baby’s dummy, marchers told the ABC, “We simply say to everyone: No to the far right.”<\/p>\n

The crowd turn out was noticeably smaller compared to last year despite an increased police presence.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Bright colours were on full display. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

A sea of gold at the parade. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Wedding kicks off celebrations<\/p>\n

This year’s theme, Ecstatica, promises a mix of “pride, passion, and glitter-fuelled resistance” by lighting up Oxford Street in Darlinghurst through to Anzac Parade at Moore Park.<\/p>\n

\"Mardi<\/p>\n

The happy couple tied the knot at Hyde Park before the parade. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

As people gathered in Hyde Park before the start of the parade, there were cheers, claps and tears as Jessica Luna and Carolina Andrade tied the knot in an impromptu wedding.<\/p>\n

Celebrant Steven Christie was present to oversee the nuptials, with the newlywed couple telling the ABC the Mardi Gras wedding was completely last-minute.<\/p>\n

“We were just gonna sign the papers and then do our ceremony later,” Ms Andrade said while patting away tears.<\/p>\n

“We’re still going to do a proper ceremony,” Ms Luna said.<\/p>\n

“But the date just kind of aligns, and you’re like, what would be, like, better than just celebrate our love in this beautiful event, you know?”<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Daniel Martinuzzo (left), Scott Cowdell (centre) and Michael Mastro (right).\u00a0 (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Daniel Martinuzzo is marching with Midas Creations alongside his partner Scott Cowdell and cousin Michael Mastro.<\/p>\n

Mr Martinuzzo said he was celebrating the fact that this year’s afterparty had been cancelled.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to parade night, organisers pulled the plug on the much-loved Mardi Gras party, saying the $2 million bash was a major contributor to “significant financial loss”, amid major sponsorship withdrawal.<\/p>\n

“I totally understand where they’re coming from,” he said.<\/p>\n

“When they come back, they’ll come back bigger and better.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

This year’s parade promised “pride, passion, and glitter-fuelled resistance”. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

\"Aurora<\/p>\n

Aurora Arsenic’s mother made her fabulous outfit. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Aurora Arsenic said her mother made her outfit for the parade, and that Mardi Gras meant she was able to “be myself”.<\/p>\n

“It means I’m surrounded by people in the community,” she said.<\/p>\n

Anthony Bansemer said he was “feeling very excited” about the parade.<\/p>\n

“I’m feeling very honoured because Phoenix is my fianc\u00e9 and him being an Aboriginal man and me being Thai,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Phoenix James (left) and Anthony Bansemer (right) travelled from Adelaide for the parade.\u00a0 (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Marchers for Qtopia are donning pins bearing the image of late drag veteran Maxi Shield as part of their float to honour her long-standing legacy in Sydney’s queer community.<\/p>\n

The drag performer Kristopher Elliot died earlier this week after being diagnosed with cancer last August.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Marchers for Qtopia are donning pins of late drag veteran Maxi Shield. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Jeremy Smith, Qtopia’s artist ambassador, said they were coming out “big and loud” in celebration of such an “incredible personality”.<\/p>\n

“I feel like this is very much, a tribute to Maxi, and their indelible mark, she was such an icon.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

People gathered at Hyde Park before the parade. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Extra security for paradePride in Protest float excluded from Mardi Gras over ‘offensive’ posts<\/a><\/p>\n

Mardi Gras organisers have issued a formal warning to Pride in Protest on Friday morning, stating they had breached the parade’s terms and conditions.<\/p>\n

The Bondi terror attack on December 14 means security is bolstered in the CBD and surrounding areas, with police confirming they will be patrolling the parade with long-arm rifles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite citing “no immediate threat”, assistant commissioner Stephen Hegarty\u00a0said additional police presence was to “reassure the community, support crowd movement and target criminal and anti-social behaviour”.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

There will be a strong police presence at the parade. (ABC News: Shannon Corvo)<\/p>\n

Less than 24 hours before the parade, the board of Mardi Gras made a decision to expel Pride in Protest over a series of comments and social media posts about the Jewish LGBTQ organisation Dayenu.<\/p>\n

Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson called the comments “offensive” and said they went against “the code of conduct and the values” of the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of people are lining along Sydney’s Oxford Street for this year’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[255571,255572,64,63,101275,84042,255569,171141,44,255570,81940,1158,255568],"class_list":["post-509521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-afterparty","tag-anzac-parade","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-darlinghurst","tag-floats","tag-gay-and-lesbian-mardi-gras-parade","tag-moore-park","tag-news","tag-oxford-street","tag-parade","tag-police","tag-sydney-mardi-gras"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}