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Event Information:
Sydney
Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is an
annual gay pride parade and festival
for the LGBT community in Sydney,
Australia, and is the largest such
event in the world. The parade
features individual entrants in
colourful costumes, gatherings of
local and inter-state community
group members, and elaborate floats
representating a topical theme or
political message.
Watch the Sydney Mardi Gras live
stream online
The
parade and dance party attract many
international and domestic tourists.
Mardi Gras is one of Australia's
biggest tourist drawcards, providing
a significant economic boost of
around $30 to $90 million Australian
dollars to Sydney each year. The
celebrations emerged during the
early 1980s after arrests were made
during pro-gay rights protests that
began in 1978. Despite its name, it
is not held on Mardi Gras (Shrove
Tuesday) or indeed, on a Tuesday at
all.
The
parade, whilst featuring many in the
gay community with a penchant for
exotic costumes and dance music, has
always retained a political edge,
with often witty visual commentary
on their political opponents
featuring in the floats. As
homosexuality became more and more
accepted in the wider community,
more gay representatives of
community groups and organisations
have taken part in the parade,
including the police force. Each
parade starts with about 200 "Dykes
on Bykes" riding up Oxford Street.
It is often accompanied by fireworks
displays, which are launched from
the rooftops of buildings along the
parade route.
The
post parade party is one the largest
ongoing party events in the country.
Mardi Gras Party attendances at
Sydney's Hordern Pavilion / Royal
Hall of Industries peaked in 1998
with 27,000 tickets sold. In the
years since 17,000 to 20,000 tickets
are consistently sold, an
extraordinary explosion since the
first Parade Ball held in 1980 at
the Paddington Town Hall, a BYO
event which attracted 700 guests.
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