Mardi Gras 2026: A Lean Mean Glittery Machine, In A Brand-New Era

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) is entering a new chapter. After some tumultuous years, the festival is stripping things back, finding its feet again, and returning to what has always made it magic: community, connection, and unapologetic queer joy.

The 2026 season theme, Ecstatica, signals a vibrant new energy pulsing through the organisation. And at the centre of it all is interim CEO Jesse Matheson, who first marched in Mardi Gras at just fifteen years old.

“I was bullied terribly in high school,” he tells Star Observer. “Marching in Mardi Gras made me realise I wasn’t alone. It completely changed my perception of being a young queer person.”

Now, after nearly a decade with SGLMG, Matheson is helping guide it into a more sustainable and community-led future. 

“It’s a time of transformation [and] asking, ‘what do we actually want Mardi Gras to be for the community moving forward?’” he says. “The focus has been reconnecting with community, opening up conversations again, and finding new ways to collaborate. We’ve had to learn, adapt, and start fresh.”

Transformation is what Mardi Gras does best, says Matheson. “Throughout [its] history… you think we’re down and out — we come back full force. It’s different, or smarter, or more agile, or sexier, more creative, more diverse.”

But Matheson knows that rebuilding trust isn’t about press releases or slogans. “It doesn’t happen overnight,” he says. “It actually takes showing up, opening the doors, and letting people in.”

Leaner, smarter, and more connected

Mardi Gras 2026 will reflect this shift: a festival that might look a little leaner on the surface but carries a stronger, more meaningful connection to the people it serves. 

“We have made some tough decisions,” he says.“However, through this process of partnering and collaborating the 2026 season could well be one of the largest years we’ve had — but we’re taking sensible steps to safeguard the organisation.”

He credits the current board, including Kathy Pavlich and Mits Delisle, for their hard work as the SGLMG evolves. “It has been a total collaboration between the operations team and the Board to get us to this point,” said Jesse.

Pavlich has put in the hard yards, starting her time with SGLMG when she became a volunteer in 1989, and seen waves of change and the way the event and inclusion has progressed. Delisle actually met his husband at Mardi Gras two decades ago. So, Mardi Gras — and its longevity — runs deep within the Board’s bones.

Part of Mardi Gras’ reset has involved tackling affordability head-on. “We’re ensuring that tickets are either the same price or going down,” he confirms.

Ecstatica and the joy that built us

The newly announced theme, Ecstatica, came directly from the community — the Board asked more than 200 members, 78ers and Hall of Fame alumni what Mardi Gras means to them today. 

“The common thread was that Mardi Gras creates this sense of queer joy,” Matheson says. “We decided to dial that joy up by a million.”

Matheson’s already got his eye on 2028 — Mardi Gras’ 50th anniversary. “That is the goal — let’s get to the 50th, and make [it] as amazing as possible.”

So yes, Mardi Gras might look a little different this year — but the power to make Mardi Gras truly incredible each year has always laid firmly with the people. Mardi Gras isn’t something you watch, it’s something you make together — and we must do that as a unified community.