Nations United is the theme for SYDNEY Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras 2009 and we are extending a welcome to the world to come to Sydney to be part of the world's most colourful gay celebration.

This is a city that knows how to throw a party, but they learned it from us! No gay pride event in the world has been embraced by its local populations as much as ours. Sydney truly stops for Mardi Gras.

key dates this year are:

Season Launch at Fair Day        15th February 2009
Harbour '09                                     1st March 2009
Parade   /Party                                7th March 2009

The 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. 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. The parade features a number of costumed characters that return for many successive years. Dykes on Bikes and Miss New Zealand are perfect examples of regular crowd favourites.

The Chief of Parade is decided each year by the organisation, and this title was given to gay film star, Rupert Everett in 2007, and American comedian, Margaret Cho in 2008. In 2009, the Chief of Parade will be openly gay, Australian Olympic gold-medalist and 2008 Australian Sports Performer of the Year, Matthew Mitcham. In 2008, gay icon and comic, Kathy Griffin
filmed an episode of her Emmy-winning reality series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List in Sydney during Mardi Gras and participated in the Parade.

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!