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Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Program
Photo Hamid Mousa
Saturday 21st February
Mardi Gras kicks off with a favourite annual event, Queer Thinking, a thought-provoking day of ideas, literature, academia and culture, exploring what it is to be LGBTQI in 2015 followed immediately by Gender Trailblazers, featuring American actress, musician, author and LGBTQI activist, Calpernia Addams. Seymour Theatre. Gender Trailblazers explores and celebrates the remarkable lives of Trans trailblazers who truly embody the courage of the human spirit.
Sunday 22 February,
Fair Day, proudly supported by ANZ, will descend once again upon Victoria Park in Chippendale. Fair day attracts more than 80,000 people with their pampered pooches enjoy gourmet food, rides for the kids, market stalls, comedy, dance and live music on the main stage. A highlight is the DoggyWood dog show. When the glorious Sydney sun has set, pack up your picnic and head down to the Newtown and Bank Hotels on King Street for the free After the Fair party.
Photo Ann-Marie Calihanna
Friday 27th February
Women Say Something: Cirque du Femme, presented in partnership with IVF Australia, will pull you into a world beyond your wildest imagination. Taking place at Fairground Follies, St Peters. Women Say Something: Cirque du Femme will present a selection of inspiring women including Magda Szubanski, Dr Kerryn Phelps and Dr Dorothy McRae-McMahon, creating dynamic discussion around the achievements of women from all communities.
Saturday 28 February
Mardi Gras’ Harbour Party. Diverse, sexy and bursting with energy, the 2015 Harbour Party is headlined by Canadian chart-topping ‘Hideaway’ singer, Kiesza. Tickets are already selling fast for this unforgettable event, so don’t miss your chance to dance the night away with 3,000 of your new best friends.
Sunday 1st March
Darling Harbour: Mardi Gras, presented in partnership with Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, will feature a fun-filled program of events like pop-up drag shows and hands-on workshops for the kids, as well as the famous Little Black Dress Run for charity.
Monday 2nd March
Pool Party at Ivy Pool Club is set to be the zenith of summertime glamour in Sydney. An intimate and sexy playground, Pool Party’s mantra is maximum style, minimum clothing. Expect a long afternoon of gently swaying palm trees, private cabanas and handsome lifeguards, drifting into an evening of high-end cocktails, poolside DJs, underwater speakers, and even a disco in the change rooms.
Tuesday 3 March,
Sunset Cruise sails off around the world’s most beautiful harbour. Hosted by the hilarious Ms Summer Salt aboard the spectacular MV Sydney Glass Island, you’ll be treated to magical views of the harbour, as well as a night of drag and fabulous music amongst a super-friendly crowd.
Photo: Hamid Mousa
Saturday 7th March
The Parade. The eye-popping, jaw-dropping centrepiece of Mardi Gras is, of course, the Parade. Proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, the 37th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is the highlight of the festival. For an extra special viewing experience of the Parade, step right up to Parade Sideshow, a premium spectator spot that offers bars, food stalls, live screens, celebrity hosts, the all important bathrooms, and seating if your feet need a rest. Tickets are available for all ages and there’s even a family ticket bundle. There’s also The Diamond Club, presented in partnership with ANZ, an exclusive viewing area reserved for members of Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Saturday 7 March,
Official Mardi Gras Party at Playbill Venues and Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. With a piping hot line-up of DJs and musical acts from across the globe including David Morales (USA), Paul Mac with special guests, Sammy Jo (USA) and JD Samson (USA) (with more to be announced) the Mardi Gras party is the only place to be to keep the celebrations kicking long into the night.
Photo Ann-Marie Calihanna
Sunday 8th March
The Laneway A buzzing indoor/outdoor party that has been a Mardi Gras institution for years, The Laneway is held along the Hill St laneway in Surry Hills, and extends to the Beresford and Flinders Hotels at either end. Celebrate the end of Mardi Gras and recover from the Party the night before with live music, diva drop-ins, popup drag shows and a terrific mix of different spaces with top notch DJs.
ABOUT SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is the non-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and Festival as well as number of other events throughout the year. SGLMG exists primarily to develop the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for the benefit of Sydney’s LGBTQI community, the enjoyment of a wider audience and as a global beacon of diversity, acceptance and LGBTQI rights
