There’s an official-looking government document titled Capital of Equality Strategy and then there’s a glittering disco float called the Capital of Equality, and you can guess which one’s headed for the 47th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this Saturday.
Canberra’s one-and-only entry in the parade of 200 floats (15,000 participants) has borrowed the ACT Government’s Capital of Equality Strategy title (with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s blessing) for their disco-ball float, which celebrates Canberra’s diversity.
There’s no bureaucratic red tape on our float though, it’s all custom-made sequinned chaps and (quite heavy) mirror disco-ball cowboy hats. And who better to dance down Oxford Street to than Kylie Minogue. Capital of Equality’s chosen song is Midnight Ride, a cowboy-themed song that pairs perfectly with Canberra’s 2025 theme, disco rodeo.
Hence the float’s exquisitely hand-made (in Canberra) horse head masks to accessorise the silver chaps and hats. Float organiser and choreographer Trung Bui said Capital of Equality embodied the essence of Canberra’s inclusivity and diversity. After all, Canberra voted 74 per cent in favour of same-sex marriage in 2017 – the highest percentage in the country.
Such was Canberra’s support for marriage equality that a spontaneous “yes fest” street party erupted in Braddon in 2017 and re-appeared every November until 2020 (when Covid put an end to it).
Trung said Canberra’s presence at Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebrated the diversity of identities within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and the power of the community to come together and champion causes.
“We have 45 people marching in the parade this year and we had a great response last year from the crowd and had great TV coverage on the ABC,” Trung said. “We’re float number 73 in the parade this year, so we’ll be marching earlier.”
Given the country-sounding cowboy tune, Trung’s choreography incorporates plenty of fancy footwork and boot-scooting. There’s going to be some tired feet in Blundstones after the Capital of Equality troupe dances from Hyde Park along Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade, finishing at Moore Park. More than 250,000 people are expected to line the streets.
“It was our first time last year and it was amazing,” Trung said. “The energy was insane. You’re supposed to be tired by the end of it but because of the energy from everyone watching and the music, it was insane. People were just screaming and shouting, everyone was really happy and we’re hoping that we’re going to keep that energy this year.”
In previous years, Transport Canberra has supplied a rainbow-painted bus for the parade and in 2018, Chief Minister Barr accompanied the Canberra float.
“Sydney Mardi Gras is a lot bigger than [Canberra LGBTQIA+ festival] SpringOut,” Trung said. “I’m sad that Canberra’s not doing the ‘yes fest’ anymore. It brought a lot of people out.
I think it was killed by COVID and then they haven’t been able to bring it back since but everyone’s still talking about it. We’re hoping someone will bring it back for the 10-year anniversary of the marriage equality bill. “
As luck would have it, Kylie Minogue is actually performing in Sydney the day after Mardi Gras and the entire Capital of Equality contingent scored tickets. I should be so lucky.
To watch Canberra’s Capital of Equality float, a live broadcast of Sydney’s 47th Mardi Gras is on Saturday 1 March at 7:30pm on ABC TV and ABC iView.
