All you need to know about Sydney WorldPride 2023

WorldPride has been coming around every other year since its inauguration in Rome in 2000 and takes over a major global city for a good two weeks when their usual Pride would normally take place. It’s Pride, but plucked, preened, buffed, polished and fluffed until it becomes the world’s largest celebration of LGBTQ+ love. This year, Sydney WorldPride will take place between February 17 and March 5 2023.

Not only is it the first time WorldPride has been held south of the equator, but it coincides with the 45^th anniversary of Sydney’s (in)famous Mardi Gras, itself one of the globe’s great LGBTQ+ parties and one that began on a frosty winter’s night in 1978. It began life as an openly brave stand against homosexuality being illegal rather than a celebration, with authorities arresting some of the revellers. But this just fired up an LGBTQ+ community who would not be silenced and by 1981 the crowd had swelled to 5,000. One by one, Australian states began to decriminalise homosexuality (Tasmania being the last to do so in 1997) and the Sydney Mardi Gras festivities grew in tandem, reaching nearly 20,000 for its 30^th anniversary in 2008. Over the years, the likes of Rita Ora, Cher and Dannii Minogue have performed at the celebrations.

In 2019, the world’s first official Pride in New York City marked its own 50^th anniversary following the Stonewall riots of 1969, where raids and harassment of mostly gay men and trans women going about their business in the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village inspired spontaneous protests. While modern Prides and their WorldPride spin-off may seem to have morphed from protest to parties, we can’t think of many better (and more fun) ways to politicise LGBTQ+ equality, equity and freedom than partying like you just don’t care.

A coming together of the great and the good of the queer community, Sydney WorldPride assembles a glittering frenzy of events, entertainment and cultural happenings – over 300 events, in fact. Sydney itself has been transformed into Rainbow City with 45 art installations doing their thing, loud and very proud, across the city and as far as Katoomba up in the Blue Mountains. There’s a map of all 45, should you need to walk off all those stubbies of ice-cold lager.

And, as is right and proper, Sydney WorldPride is putting its LGBTQ+ First Nations people first. The celebrations are taking place on the lands of the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidjigal, Darug and Dharawal people – the traditional custodians of the Sydney Basin. The biggest of all the rainbow installations is by First Nations artist Dylan Mooney, whose storeys-high mural in Darlinghurst represents queer indigenous identities on the grandest of scales.

“There’s this genuine allyship because there are a lot of queer First Nations people,” said Courtney Act, who’s hosting Loud and Pride, the spectacular WorldPride opening party headlined by Kylie Minogue.

Once-in-a-lifetime events like Sydney WorldPride don’t come along that often, so here are our top-picks of what’s going on in the loved-up Rainbow City…

1. Marri Madung Butbut

23-28 February

Carriageworks’ rather dashing train sheds will be abuzz during six days of global First Nations creativity. It’s the largest Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and global First Nation LGBTQ+ programme ever to take place in Australia, taking in exhibitions, theatre, dining and cabaret. Oh, and Miss First Nation: Supreme Queen, a drag queen contest. Marri Madung Butbut means ‘Many Brave Hearts’, which is very apt.

2. Pride Villages

24 February - 5 March 

Slap on the Factor 30 as you peruse vibrantly dressed revellers over at Pride Villages. LGBTQ+ main thoroughfare, Oxford Street, plus neighbouring streets will be transformed into WorldPride’s festival hub. Daily stalls, food, drink and performances all culminate in the two-day Oxford Street Party to celebrate the last weekend of WorldPride. Note: Pride Villages won’t operate Saturday 25 February, as that day is all about the Mardi Gras Parade.

3. Mardi Gras Parade

25 February

It’s the 45th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and boy are they pulling out all the stops. Returning to Oxford Street for the first time since 2020, this year’s theme is Gather, Dream, Amplify. It’s the biggest event of Sydney WorldPride, so get ready for more than 12,500 marchers, over 200 floats and Mardi Gras favourites including Lifesavers With Pride and Dykes On Bikes donning the revamped route from Hyde Park to Moore Park. Good luck getting all that glitter out of your hair…

4. Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference

1-3 March

If we may be serious for one moment, not everyone across the world has it as good as we do, especially LGBTQ+ communities. This will be the largest ever LGBTQ+ human rights conference held in the Asia-Pacific region, with speakers, workshops, round tables and performances getting to the nitty-gritty of global queer rights – or lack thereof. You can also stream it if you can’t make it in person.

5. Mardi Gras Laugh Out Loud

3 March 

Tickets to this queer comedy gala over at the Enmore Theatre are hotter than your average cupcake, and little wonder when you take a look at the roster of queer funny people; Spankie Jackzon, Rosie Delaney, Bob Downe, Rudy-Lee Taurua, Dazza and Keif, among many others. Laugh Out Loud has sold out three years on the trot, so no messing around.

6. Bondi Beach Party

4 March

A massive party on Bondi Beach? They couldn’t not, right? For one day only, the sandy Sydney legend will host over 12,000 up-for-it LGBTQs and their allies. Featuring an all-Aussie line-up of DJs, Nicole Scherzinger’s also flying in to perform for the global queer community. It’s a party even this iconic beach won’t quite have experienced before.

7. Choir Boy

14 February - 11 March

Tony award-winning play Choir Boy gets its Australian premiere at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who gave us the extraordinary and Oscar-winning film Moonlight, Choir Boy sees high school and gospel collide in a story about prejudice, masculinity and plucky choristers.

Sydney WorldPride is from Friday, February 17 to Sunday March 5 2023

Visit www.sydneyworldpride.com for more information