Glitter-clad partygoers have made a riotous rainbow return to the queer community’s spiritual home as Sydney’s Mardi Gras reawakens Oxford Street for the first time since 2020.
Hundreds of thousands of sequined revellers have lined Sydney’s inner-city streets on Saturday for the start of the 45th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
The parade has returned to its heritage-listed route after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to relocate to the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2021 and 2022.
David Mulally says the compounding impact of WorldPride and Oxford Street homecoming has elevated every aspect of the queer extravaganza.
“It’s like Mardi Gras on steroids. There’s 10 times more glitter, 10 times more fun, 10 times more fabulous,” Mulally told AAP.
“To be able to do it all back on Oxford Street, everyone has to stop and take note of this amazing cultural thing that we have.”
The celebration, which is the crown jewel of Sydney’s WorldPride program, has brought visitors to the harbour city from all corners of the globe.
Parade participant Odirley Souza travelled from Brazil for his first Sydney Mardi Gras.
While Souza says Sao Paolo’s parade has bigger attendance, he feels much safer dressing as a shimmering butterfly against Sydney’s skyline than at home.
“This parade is part of the cultural fabric of our city,” Mulally said.
“It’s great to be able to stop the city and show the country, the city, the world, what us gays can do.”
More than 200 floats and 12,500 parade participants will dance through 1.7 kilometres of rainbow-lined streets in a celebration of this year’s theme: Gather, Dream, Amplify.
This year’s parade features Mardi Gras veterans such as Dykes on Bikes and the 78ers alongside some of the country’s most powerful leaders.
Anthony Albanese will become the first sitting prime minister to march in the parade, which he initially joined in 1983 – five years after it began as a protest for gay rights.
He is expected to appear at 9pm with NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the first openly gay woman in federal parliament.
Lisa Anderson, who has donned a waterfall of hand-sewn rainbow ribbons, says the politicians’ participation is emblematic of the strides LGBTQI rights have made since her first Mardi Gras in the 1980s.
“It’s pretty amazing. We used to have senior political figures condemning pride but now everyone is joining in.”
“You can hear everybody is happy. Everyone’s you know is doing something for WorldPride.”
