events Eastside Sydney events Eastside Sydney

MARDI GRAS PARADE BACK ON OXFORD ST

The annual Mardi Gras Parade is set to return to Oxford St in February 2023, for the first time in three years.  It sits in the middle of the Sydney World Pride calendar, a 17-day celebration of Australian LGBTQIA+ fabulousness, with over 300 events across the city, from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to Bondi Beach and all stops in between. This includes Darlinghurst where there will be a series of street closures for the annual Parade and the new Pride Villages.

As the biggest event of the Sydney WorldPride festival, all eyes will be on the 12,000 marchers as 200 floats adorn Oxford Street for the first time since 2020. You can expect all your Parade favourites, from the famous rumble of the Dykes on Bikes to the quintessentially Australian Lifesavers With Pride, and the many wonders of our LGBTQIA+ communities.

Pride Villages – for 10 days from 24 February, sections of Crown Street and Riley Street will be closed and become home to stalls, dining and performances. On the final weekend of Sydney WorldPride, a section of Oxford Street itself will be closed to create a giant street party, all the way from College Street to Flinders Street.. Lots more announcements to come, so stay tuned!

More than 500,000 people are expected to participate in Sydney WorldPride, making it the biggest event to hit town since the 2000 Olympics. Other events include :

  • Live & Proud – Sydney WorldPride’s Opening Concert, presented by American Express – we’re getting the party started with this opening concert, hosted by Courtney Act and Casey Donovan.  

  • Bondi Beach Party, presented by Optus – for one day only, the sandy jewel of Sydney will become the city’s hottest club for 12,000 people. 

  • Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference – the largest LGBTQIA+ human rights conference ever held in Asia-Pacific region. 

  • Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert – experience a rainbow explosion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ artistry, across a two-hour concert hosted by Steven ‘Faboriginal’ Oliver at the Sydney Opera House. 

  • First Nations Gathering Space – held at Carriageworks and running across six nights, featuring exhibits, theatre, dining and drag. 

  • Rainbow Republic, presented by Optus – six hours of live music, DJs and performances await you at The Domain, for a queer megamix of international and local acts. 

  • Ultra Violet – an inclusive LGBTQIA+ women’s party at Sydney’s Town Hall where Drag Kings, burlesque stars and cabaret performers take to the stage. 

  • Domain Dance Party – dance with 10,000 of your mates at the biggest LGBQTIA+ outdoor dance party Australia has ever seen.  

  • Pride March – 50,000 people will join this historic Pride march across one of the world’s most-recognisable landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

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events, eat + drink, play Eastside Sydney events, eat + drink, play Eastside Sydney

OXTRAVAGANZA

Oxtravaganza is back! For two weeks starting Friday 18th February through to Sunday 6th March ”Darlo does Mardi Gras”. The official parade may have relocated but Oxford St plans to party on, with local businesses ramping up the glitter-vibe and our celebration of the Pink Mile will see dozens of businesses coming together to offer special retail promotions, live music + performance, viewing parties, outdoor entertainment, art walks, plus food and drink deals.

Saturday 26th February is ‘Shop Till You Drop’ day on Oxford St and surrounds. The best vintage stores, drag queen costumes, leather, glitter and sequins will help create your ultimate Mardi Gras outfit. Live performers are out and about and the ‘instax selfie booth’ guarantees instant gratification - a photo for just a gold coin, with all proceeds going to The Gender Centre. There’s also drag story time, bottomless brunches, wrestling demos, undie models, naked barbers and more!

Across the full 2 weeks explore our LGBTQI history in photo exhibitions; take a class and learn how to draw, get introduced to kink and somatic sexology. Or just kick back with a cocktail, alfresco in a beer garden or hidden rooftop spot. Order a Young Henry’s beer and raise money for charity. There’s a full schedule of drag, cabaret and variety shows, bingo and trivia. And on Parade Night join a Live Viewing Party, popping up in dozens of venues, around the neighbourhood.

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