Holy, moly – this is one event that would’ve been hard to miss! Whether that’s because it took over the entirety of Sydney’s SCG, engulphed surrounding suburbs, absolutely devoured social media, or because it could surely have been seen from space with the level of glitter that event goers managed to don!
Yes, on Saturday 6th of March pride, love and passion erupted over the Sydney Cricket Ground, in a glittering celebration of self-expression for the 2021 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The biggest night of the year on the LGBTQI+ calendar, Sydney Mardi Gras remains a symbol of hope, a vehicle for protest, and the ultimate display of creativity for its communities – shining a spotlight on issues and achievements from the past 12 months.
A passionate stadium crowd cheered on as 5,000 marchers, spanning over 120 parade entries, came together to take to the arena in a dazzling display of diversity and unity.
This year’s Mardi Gras theme was ‘rise’, a poignant message following the obstacles and adversities of the last year. A call to action that now is the time to rise again through love, compassion, respect and understanding.
Many a float left our eyes bright and jaws dropped, though three community floats really took out the top spots in our eyes.
1. The first of which, TikTok Australia. With an array of drag queens, queer employees, their loved ones and even a guest performance from queer female artists G Flip. Absolutely owning the arena, G Flip left crowds in absolute awe – not a disappointed Mardi Gras goer as far as they eye could see!
2. The second was the community float by Trans Pride Australia. Trans Pride Australia’s aim is to foster a sense of belonging and empower trans and gender diverse people across Australia. This year Trans Pride Australia’s entry will celebrate with a concept devoted to self-empowerment, including costumes of gloves, headwear and parasols lit up with colourful LED lighting. Their float was bright, fabulous and certainly one you did not want to miss!
3. Our third top pick would have to go out to the Chinese LGBTQIA Community Float. Founded in 2016, the Chinese LGBTQI+ Community Float, aims to increase the visibility of the Chinese LGBTQI+ community, advocate love, freedom and equality for the wider LGBTQI+ community and serve as a cultural bridge between the East and the West. Their parade entry, Phoenix Reborn, utilises the symbol of the Phoenix to express the LGBTQI+ community’s rising from the ashes over the years through courage, patience and perseverance. A glittering explosion of freedom, advocacy for love and a true cultural bridge, their float was nothing short of f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s.
The parade, set to head back to Sydney’s Oxford Street next year, was Covid safe and as a result looked a little different this year. Though one thing sure stayed the same – the level of pride among the LGBTIQ+ community, and that’s something we couldn’t be happier about.
This Mardi Gras season was fabulous as ever, but as always we were all left wanting more – until next year Mardi Gras!
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