WorldPride was first hosted in Rome in 2003 and in 2023 it’s heading down under to sunny Sydney to join up with Sydney’s iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration. From 17 February to 5 March, 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 to their newsletter to be the first to know when lineups are announced and when tickets go on sale.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras: A History
The first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney was held on a winter’s night in 1978 and the night ended in violence when police swept in to crack down on the community celebrating during a time when homosexuality was illegal. 1978 saw multiple protests and celebrations by the LGBTQIA+ community as they pushed to become more visible and demand better rights. Homosexuality 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.
WorldPride Arts
WorldPride Arts is a festival-long programme that plans to host more than 60 events including dance performances, drag shows, art exhibitions and much more. Ben Graetz, Daniel Clarke and Lisa Freshwater will curate the event along with a full team of Curatorial Associates to create a fantastic lineup of can’t-miss 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, an outrageously camp decor, and fabulous live entertainment. Newcastle is roughly two hours north of Sydney, so you can arrive in Newcastle on the 18th and then head down to Sydney in time for Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday via car or train.
Mardi Gras Fair Day
The festivities will run all day at Mardi Gras Fair Day in Victoria Park. You’ll find over 200 stores including retail, food and information stalls, plus stores 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 titles of Best Dressed and Most Talented. 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.
WorldPride Sports
Like WorldPride Arts, WorldPride Sports 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 super 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 will 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 Sydney WorldPride’s open access programme for a variety of LGBTQIA+ events, including arts events, culture and community programs, experiences and parties that will happen throughout the festival. There’ll be countless events and programmes running, including a POOF DOOF: Mardi Gras Long Luncheon on 23 February at 12pm at Uccello, featuring keynote speakers, live performances, and a complimentary cocktail on arrival. Parties will include Stonewall International Welcome Party on the 23rd at 8:30pm and Apollo: The Party on the 26th at 2pm.
Pride Villages
Between 24 February and 5 March (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 LGBTQIA+ 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 WorldPride 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 WorldPride Opening Concert
The Live and Proud Opening Concert will be hosted on Friday 24 February between 7pm and 9pm 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 7pm but you can enter The Domain from 3pm 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 LGBTQ 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 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 LGBTQIA+ 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 make sure to get your hands on tickets soon because this is one atmosphere you don’t want to miss.
Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference
Between 1-3 March, the International Convention and Exhibition Centre will host the Asia-Pacific Region’s largest ever LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Conference. The three-day conference aims to be an immersive, inspiring and interactive event with panels, workshops, networking events and much more. The conference will focus on the central tenets of Community & Culture, Justice & Freedom, Health & Wellbeing and Visibility & Inclusion. It is open to anyone aged 16 and up and you may find yourself getting to meet and connect with everyone from local community organisers to government policymakers.
Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert
Hosted by Steven “Faboriginal” Oliver, LGBTQIA+ 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 event 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 to Sydney Town Hall for Sydney WorldPride’s ultimate event for LGBTQIA+ 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 event.
Mardi Gras Laugh Out Proud
With three sold-out years under its belt, Mardi Gras Laugh Out Proud returns on 3 March 2023 to deliver more laughs than ever before 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 be sure to book 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 a WorldPride 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 4 March 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
Close out the festival with a march and a party. 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 advances the LGBTQIA+ 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 WorldPride and passes the baton onwards to the next host city.
