This year’s Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and after-party has been hailed a success with over 9,000 participants on almost 110 floats creating a line of glitz and glamour up Oxford Street and Flinders Street, with messages reminding the community about equality and the need for acceptance and not discrimination.

With the excitement near palpable, the sequins flying, and toned bodies being put through their dance moves one final time, more than 10,000 people from the LGBTIQ community and their friends and allies are preparing to march at tonight’s eagerly awaited Sydney Mardi Gras Parade as the festival celebrates its 35th birthday.

SYDNEY: Excitement for Saturday’s Mardi Gras Parade continues to build after a motion congratulating the long-running LGBTI festival was easily passed in NSW Parliament today.

Sydney’s best-rating FM radio station, 2DayFM, will this weekend rebrand itself as 2GayFM in support of marriage equality and to celebrate the Mardi Gras.

SYDNEY: With less than a week to go to this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, a number of groups and organisations including NSW Police and Amnesty International are busy putting the final preparations to their eagerly awaited floats.

The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF) has thanked the LGBTI community as well as local businesses for the generosity shown to the longstanding HIV charity over this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras festival.

G-strings, hot pants, nudity – many eschew the Mardi Gras Parade amid claims it perpetuates stereotypes about gay people and alienates the broader community. But far from advancing the cause, to tone down festivities and expression will only hinder the LGBTI community, argues Lachlan Bennett. 

ADULT: Barry Lowe reflects on the Mardi Gras parades of yesteryear, during his time as editor for the now-defunct gay rag, Campaign.

SYDNEY MARDI GRAS: They have been marching in the Mardi Gras Parade since 2008 but this year, for the first time, openly gay personnel from the Australian Defence Force will take part in the procession in full uniform – a move that will only have positive outcomes. It’s gay and lesbian service members speak with Reg Domingo. Photographed for SX by John McRae.

SYDNEY: As the days edge closer to the Sydney Mardi Gras parade, ACON will team up with police from a number of local area commands to take part in a high visibility operation that will focus on community safety and encourage LGBTI people to access support and report homophobic and transphobic violence.

SYDNEY: Four notorious figures in queer history are brought to life in this bold one-woman show, part of the Mardi Gras Festival. By Lachlan Bennett.

The gloves are off as showbiz stars gather to roast Australia’s ‘Prince of Polysester’ Bob Downe in this hilarious ACON fundraiser. Lachlan Bennett reports.

They are the pioneers who blazed the trail for Australia’s gay and lesbian community, whose courage and bravery laid the foundation for LGBTI equality, visibility and acceptance. As Sydney Mardi Gras marks a new milestone, four ‘78ers – the original marchers who staged the first Mardi Gras 35 years ago – share their memories of that fateful night, and reflect on Mardi Gras’ past, present and future. Photographed for SX by Robert Knapman.

SYDNEY: Just over a year following the sad passing of Kiwi and Australian transgender icon, Carmen Rupe, a foundation created in her name to help improve the lives and visibility of transgender people and others facing disenfranchisement will be officially launched at a cocktail party at Darlinghurst later this month.

SYDNEY: Dragon boating is one of Australia’s fastest growing sports with plenty of participation from Sydney’s queer community led by LGBTI club Different Strokes.