10,000 marchers, half a tonne of glitter helps 37th Sydney Mardi Gras Parade pulsate with passion
Image: The Qantas "gay380" contingent in this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. (PHOTO: Ann-Marie Calilhanna; Star Observer)
THE big gay celebration that stops Sydney swept through the city on Saturday night with a parade of floats almost six kilometres long spreading this year’s Mardi Gras theme of passion.
The statistics are impressive – 10,000 participants divided between 145 floats watched by an estimated 200,000 spectators as the Parade made its way through the Darlinghurst district.
Helping make the 37th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras sparkle were 15,000 fairy lights, five kilometres of fabric and half a tonne of glitter – much of which will be found in the gutters of Oxford St and the carpets of apartments for months to come.
Vehicles featured included 300 bikes, two planes, a boat and even a gold tank driven by a camp caricature of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un swatting away homophobic zombies.
It was a night of firsts with the lead float dedicated to the first Australians and marking the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Ride which highlighted Indigenous discrimination.
Meanwhile, the Australia Defence Force’s (ADF) entry included the force’s most senior members yet, as the Star Observer exclusively revealed last month.
While waiting for the march to commence, Air Force warrant officer Mark Pentreath said all ADF personnel should be proud of their sexuality.
“There’s certainly been a cultural change across the organisation [which is] far more accepting of all different groups and certainly our men and women here are very proud of their background, their uniform and serving Australia,” he said.
While everyone loves a man or women in uniform, when asked which service’s garb would be the crowd favourite Navy warrant officer Martin Holzberger quickly pinned his own colours to the mast: “Without a doubt, the navy has the best uniform and we have some exceptionally good looking men and women.”
In a last minute addition to the Parade, the spouses of all three warrant officers also walked the route.
The biggest-ever contingent of NSW police officers also took part – to mark 25 years of gay and lesbian liaison officers and a century of women in the police – amid calls for the force to formally apologise for the arrest of hundreds of protesters at the first Mardi Gras in 1978.
Basking in the afterglow of last year’s Sydney-held Bingham Cup 2014 tournament, LGBTI inclusion in sport was a central theme with AFL’s Mike Pike, rugby union’s Matt Toomua and cricket’s Alex Blackwell joined by openly-gay Olympians Matthew Mitcham and Daniel Kowalski.
Meanwhile, Bingham Cup champions the Sydney Convicts invited their rivals the Melbourne Chargers to join them for Mardi Gras.
The Parade also saw a welcome return for celebrated costume designer Ron Muncaster, a memorial to drag artist Beyoncé G-Spot, a rainbow “gay380” from Qantas that featured Australian international drag star Courtney Act, dancing heroes of healthcare from the Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists, a group dressed as Russian Orthodox clergy expressing their support for bearded Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst and contingents from community organisations such as ACON, Twenty10, NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Pride in Diversity.
Trans* rights were a focus with American author and actress Calpernia Addams teaming up with the Carmen Rupe Memorial Trust and Amnesty International to spruik a message of bodily autonomy.
One of the most anticipated floats was that of the Irish dancing queens led by Irish drag star Panti Bliss.
Bliss told the Star Observer she had been to prides worldwide but nothing compared to Sydney.
She also took a swipe at Fred Nile.
“Don’t you have a guy who prays for rain here every year? Clearly it’s not working this year,” said Bliss, looking at the clear blue skies above.
“I feel a little sorry for him, imagine spending your life praying for rain for the gays.”
Big names were also in abundance.
Former NSW Governor and long-time supporter of the state’s LGBTI community Marie Bashir was anointed Chief of Parade.
While, RuPaul’s Drag Race season seven winner Bianca Del Rio was part of the Airbnb float.
Politicians marching included City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Leader of the NSW upper house and Liberal MP Don Harwin, Sydney state independent MP Alex Greenwich, Coogee state Liberal MP Bruce Notley-Smith, Balmain state Greens MP Jamie Parker, upper house Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi and Shadow NSW Transport Minister Penny Sharpe as well as Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson.
SBS broadcasters Sam Pang and Julia Zemiro were atop a Eurovision float while Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, national Greens leader Christine Milne, Shadow Tourism Minister and Grayndler federal Labor MP Anthony Albanese, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce and ex-David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra looked on from the sides.
Mardi Gras’ Michael Rolik, completing his last season as chief executive, said: “The combined efforts of everyone involved delivered a real stand out Parade.
“The attention to detail and enthusiasm of all the Parade participants ensured there was a sea of smiling faces from the crowd.”
As the last float glided by, a posse of broom-wielding drag queens swept up Oxford St.
Despite their efforts the twinkle from this year’s Parade will last for some months to come.
Perhaps, even, until this time next year.
I always enjoy the Mardi Gras season and get ridiculously excited for the parade and party and after party. The only thing I would like to see is perhaps a little less people and corporate advertising at everything. Everything is completely oversold and as a boy I am totally shocked to have to queue for the toilets. However, I’ll line up and do it all again next year.
Despite his yucky ideological agenda great to see Tim “Freedom” Wilson march with his partner Ryan
Didn’t expect that at all….maybe he will see the light and become a nicer person in due course
Love the manboobs… (runs away)
Yes Simon! I fully agree!
More political/ hard edge content, such as the plight of gay people on Iran- being murdered by being hung from cranes, and isis state who throw gay people from tall buildings.
Maybe all a bit too polite for the politically correct/ sanitised/ Disneyfied Mardi Gras today that doesnt seem to want to rock to boat or offend…
Considering the size and scale of it ,a very good coverage,yes impossible to record every moment ,wish a couple of now issues had been mentioned ,ie Iran floats ,and boy am I sick of stupid gen y sameness comments they look identical and have no individual view point,what don’t they get about 20 yrs ago it all being illegal,secret and hated,what are they contributing now,nothing just clones,good on sbs for even broadcasting it,God knows how many isolated and scared men and women out there thought ,if they can I can
I have helped make 3 floats for Mardi gras and have watched the parade for years. I have never actually marched on one, and will not while the nsw police farce is in it- while they continue to assault us (recent years of spectators), ignore violence against us, continue self investigation complaints against them, and whilst they are paid on duty to march.
They are using the parade as another vehicle of their blatant and empty P.R…
Loved the coverage. A really neat package. Good work SBS and Joy FM
SameSame.com.au, just deleted the comment I made below about the floats. I am outraged gay people can not have an opinion and are censored by political bias within the gay media. Thank you Star Observer for not being so precious as they were and for leaving my comment as is. I am gay too and I have a voice. I do not appreciate being vilified by the gay press like SameSame.com.au just did to me because I don’t wear a dress or act effeminate in any way or share their political stance. We all may have different views but we are all in this together and it is important we can all debate and celebrate together regardless. Freedom of Speech is vital or we are all doomed.
That sort of thing doesn’t normally happen on SameSame. Did you just join today? To deter spamming there is a period between joining and participating fully in the forums. Try again later.
As to your criticisms of Mardi Gras; for everyone who says the parade is not political enough there’s someone else saying it’s much too political. I think the answer to both is get involved and make your own float.
With regard to the international issues you raise, I think Amnesty International would be up to speed on those, and they’ve been marching in the parade for years.
As for Tori Johnson, maybe his family didn’t want a memorial. They have rights too.
Where was the float to honour Tori Johnson, murdered by Jihad around the corner in Martin Place?
Where was the float denouncing ISIS throwing gays from buildings to their death?
Where was the float supporting Gay Muslims in Australia?
Where was the float denouncing Iran hanging Gay men from Cranes?
Hypocrites and cowards. Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, your bullshit disgusts me. Your silence is deafening.
But then, it’s all about the money and notoriety these days isn’t it. Nothing to do with gay rights. Hypocrites!
Was one of the best parades in recent years; still needs more focus on LGBTIQ issues
As long as the glitter was biodegradable. Otherwise it will just end up in poor marine life in the Sydney Harbour.
I feel like every gay man is creative and stylish. What went wrong with me lol
The SBS television coverage was terrible..
Not enough of the parade..
Too many interviews..
Too many adds..
Some of the representatives made Australian Gays look cheap & tacky..
Most of the floats were just trucks – it was all very tacky, and not like when it was called the Sydney GAY Mardi Gras.
I’m gay and I don’t identify with the community or most of the floats in Mardi Gras. Time to take anatomy out of the equation and add some depth, transparency and substance. Sick to death of seeing boobs, cocks, vaginas and bums!
A shame you didn’t see the (fully clothed) community and rural groups; religious groups; services like Ankali and GLCS and BeyondBlue; the defence forces, fire services, police; the Rainbow families; PFLAG; the cultural groups; the political parties, the 78ers…
It is a shame I got overwhelmed by the over sexualisation of the equal rights march and vile commentary!
Yeah. That is a shame. There’s still a lot there which represents the issues faced by, the support that exists for, and celebrations of, LGBTQI people. Still, people see what they want to see, I guess.
Or maybe it’s a media thing I guess!
It was amazing to see it live josh :p amazing experience,see ya Sunday
Thanks Brenda
Amazing night I have the time