Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade is set to be the biggest one yet as it returns to its original route down Oxford and Flinders streets. This year, the theme for the parade is “Gather, Dream, Amplify” as part of WorldPride, with more than 12,500 participants and 208 floats set to make their way from Hyde Park to Moore Park. The parade is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators.
To manage the crowd, Mardi Gras organizers will use CCTV technology to track the density and mood of the crowds. This technology will help them to direct people to less dense areas to prevent overcrowding. The floats in the parade will represent all corners of the LGBTQ+ community, with a Balinese-themed float representing LGBTQ+ people from Indonesia, and a float from Tamworth’s pride group celebrating the queer community in rural Australia with a cowboy and cowgirl theme.
The Mardi Gras parade has come a long way since it first started in 1978, where only 23 women and men marched down Oxford Street, leading to their arrest. Since then, the parade has grown into an annual event, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and advocating for equal rights. This year, the parade will feature Logan, the youngest-ever drag queen to march, and 72-year-old Kate Rowe, one of the activists who stepped on to Oxford Street for the first Mardi Gras parade in 1978.
For those not willing to brave the crowds, the parade will be broadcast on ABC TV and internationally on ABC TV’s YouTube channel. There will also be free live viewings across various venues in Sydney, including a screen erected at Newtown’s Camperdown Memorial Rest Park. Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade is a celebration of diversity, love, and inclusivity, showcasing the progress the LGBTQ+ community has made over the years.