Mardi Gras
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Mardi Gras 2026: 10,000 revellers, more than 200 floats parade on Oxford Street for Sydney’s 48th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations
Follow our live coverage as thousands of people prepare to march down Oxford Street for the 48th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
- Cindy Yin and Emily Kowal
Who is your dream Mardi Gras headliner?
After this year's Mardi Gras after party was cancelled due to budget issues, we ask revellers who their dream headliner would have been.
Heath and Darren met at Mardi Gras 30 years ago. This year they said, ‘I do’
Had the two men, who at the time were not out, not travelled to Sydney’s Oxford Street that night in 1996, “it might have just been a friendship”.
- Kayla Olaya
Activist float excluded from Mardi Gras parade
Mardi Gras organisers have kicked out the Pride in Protest group after it made social media posts claiming a Jewish float supported genocide.
- Kayla Olaya
Rose was happily married for 21 years. Then she came out as a lesbian
Often referred to as “late in life lesbians”, women who come out in midlife have experienced increased visibility over the past 20 years.
- Courtney Thompson
Chelsea Heath tells her story as a 'late in life lesbian'
Chelsea Heath, 32, grew up in the only biracial family in her small rural town in Victoria.
Karl marched in the first Mardi Gras. News this week took him back to that night
Amid reports of violent hate crimes against LGBTQ people, the parade defiantly – and fabulously – turns 48 on Saturday.
- Kayla Olaya and Cindy Yin
Everything you need to know about the 2026 Sydney Mardi Gras
Read our guide to the road closures, major events and 24-hour public transport options for the annual Mardi Gras Parade.
- Cindy Yin
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From protest to party: Sydney’s Mardi Gras route added to the national heritage register
The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade began nearly 50 years ago with the rallying cry “out of the bars and into the streets”. Now the Oxford Street route will be recognised for its significance to Australian history and culture.
- Megan Gorrey