Sydney Mardi Gras closed with a glitzy concert with the likes of Courtney Act and Conchita Wurst, the party continuing into the night. The parade had 178 floats and over 12,500 participants marching.
Participants included representatives from indigenous Australians and other ethic communities, the police force, political floats and the 78ers – the people who marched for the very first time in 1978, and were brutally attacked by the police.
Participants included representatives from indigenous Australians and other ethic communities, the police force, political floats and the 78ers – the people who marched for the very first time in 1978, and were brutally attacked by the police.
By Jack Flanagan – Full Story at Gay Star News
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Photo / Destination New South Wales[/caption]
Dramatic drag queens and droll drag kings. Bears (the hairy-male type), bogans and Bananas in Pyjamas. Grooving and gyrating mer-drags, macho muscle Mary’s and minx-y mistresses. Sinewy prancers, dancers, hula-hoopers and hedonists in harnesses.
With such decadence and debauchery, it could only be Sydney Mardi Gras – the annual glittering gem of a pride event that showcases the diversity of Sydney’s LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) communities.
Now in its 38th year, Mardi Gras marks a high point in Sydney’s social calendar and holds its own as an internationally recognised celebration of equality, passion and freedom.
Borne from a rocky start, this much-loved parade originally began as a protest. Following years of hiding their sexuality, a group of around 1000 men and women took to Sydney’s inner-city streets on Saturday June 24, 1978, to march for the recognition of their rights. Despite the peaceful intentions of those who protested, the police reaction was violent, and many arrests were made.
Sydney may have the iconic Opera house, Mardi Gras glitz, and some celebrity chefs, yet Melbourne can lay claim to Australia’s only inclusion on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants In the World list–Chef Ben Shewry’s avant-garde, farm-to-table hotspot Attica. Melbourne also has the honor of being a repeat title holder of World’s Most Livable City.
The dining scene here is simply incredible, thanks in no small part to the bounty of produce and wines resulting from the Victoria region’s climate (“four seasons in a day,” locals like to say), a burgeoning crop of under-the-radar innovative chefs, a teeming craft coffee culture, and strong multi-cultural influences.
From Melbourne’s downtown (CBD) and its famed, labyrinthine laneways to hipster hoods Fitzroy and Collingwood, amazing new spots are cropping up everywhere. Openings and reboots are routinely chronicled on chic “what’s on” website, Broadsheet, while annual tome The Age Good Food Guide keeps tabs on the best and brightest. A tastings-filled food tour is always a good idea, and the excellent and sassy Monique Bayer’s Walk Melbourne offers superb 3-hour expeditions covering coffee, chocolate, dumplings, rooftop bars, and more from $53-up. You can even try some modern Aussie cuisine from New York or Los Angeles in Qantas’ business class where the menus are by Neil Perry, whose high-profile Rockpool can be found at Melbourne’s Crown casino complex.
Half a tonne of glitter and 5 kilometres of fabric is needed to get Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade on the road, and it shows. The gigantic street parade is a dazzler. Dressing up in feathers or leathers isn’t just for those in the show – people in the huge crowd of onlookers also tog up in weird and wonderful ways such as their favourite comic character, movie star (Marilyn Monroe is a favourite), or even the Sphinx.
Anything goes in the circus-like event, which has grown way beyond its original platform for the gay community to express themselves in all their diversity, and display their love of putting on a show. It’s become a gigantic street party and a sea of happy faces that anyone can join.
Mardi Gras is a must-see for visitors to the city in early March. The loud, lurid, and licentious cross-dressers generally grab all the media attention but the parade is more than just a huge-scale drag performance.