BE PROUD BE LOUD
Top ways to celebrate the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
From February 19 to March 5, Sydney is going to be painted all the colours of the rainbow and dipped in glitter. The whole of the city will be well and truly out of the closet again this year to celebrate the LBGTQI community across Sydney, nay the country, nay the world. Gay, straight, curious or anything in between, this festival is a celebration of all things fabulous, and sends out an important and inspirational message, as well as being a hell of a lot of fun.
From moving talks to poignant exhibitions, to fun runs to drag cabaret nights, the Sydney Mardi Gras is packed with awesome events, spanning just over two weeks. For the full programme of events, visit mardigras.org.au. Here, though, we’ve picked our top Mardi Gras must-dos. Enjoy, darlings....
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Mardi Gras Film Festival
FEBRUARY 18 - MARCH 3 From Madonna to LGBT athletes, rodeo cowboys to surf lifesavers, the 23rd Mardi Gras Film Festival will deliver the best in LGBTQI cinema.
queerscreen.org.au
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Decca-Dance
FEBRUARY 19 Decca-Dance! is a LGBTQI Foxtrot-cha-cha-samba-tango of an exhibition featuring a collection of multi-media artworks by Queer and colourful artists who love to celebrate the Sydney Mardi Gras with a ‘dosey-doe’ to your partner.
mardigras.org.au
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Rainbow Run
FEBRUARY 27 Dress up in your rainbow colours and join the fun run around Sydney Park to help raise money for the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby. You can walk or run two, four or six kilometres around the park, even donning your heels if you can.
mardigras.org.au
Fair Day
FEBRUARY 21 Fair Day is like the older, more responsible brother (or sister, whatever it wants to be) of the Mardi Gras Parade. Held in Victoria Park, this event is much more relaxed.
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Disco Bridge Climb
FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 1 We’ve all had a drunken karaoke sing-song and dance off, but have you ever done it on the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge? We’re guessing no, unless it happened that night you got really wasted and woke up on the North Shore...
bridgeclimb.com/mardigras
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Harbour Party
FEBRUARY 28 The 2015 Sydney Harbour party is the hottest event on the Mardi Gras calendar (and we don’t just mean temperature-wise). Attracting thousands of party-goers from around the world, the Harbour Party is set up at the Botanic Gardens, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House as fabulous backdrops for the day’s festivities.
mardigras.org.au/fairday/
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Disco T-Dance
FEBRUARY 28 Remember the days when we loved the nightlife and got to boogie?” Mary Kiani presents “Disco T Dance” so lets play that funky music again and everybody dance. Young hearts will run free as we take you back to the days when the disco divas ruled the dance floor.
mardigras.org.au
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Sunset Cruise
MARCH 1 Again this year the Mardi Gras Sunset Cruise takes over the Harbour in what has now become one of the hottest tickets on the calendar. Presented in partnership with Planetdwellers, Australia’s largest tour operator for the Gay and Lesbian traveller and friends.
mardigras.org.au
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The Parade
MARCH 5 Imagine 10,000 people sauntering along Oxford & Flinders Streets in a dazzling array of sequins, feathers, leathers and speedos to celebrate Pride and Diversity, all while more than 200,000 people cheer from the sidelines. The 38th annual Parade promises to continue to show the world all the beautiful colours of Australia’s rainbow community and be a fabulous opportunity for unbridled self-expres
Oxford Street mardigras.org.au/events/parade-2
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Mardi Gras Party
MARCH 5 After watching the parade, you’re sure to be pepped up for a party, so you should head to the not-verycatchy- but-does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Playbill Venues and Entertainment Quarter. Here you will find DJs keeping the party going until 8am – yep, you read that right – across various venues, with more than 15,000 revellers getting together for one hell of a party.
mardigras.org.au
