Sydney’s Oxford Street was a sea of colour and celebration on Saturday night as revellers filled the iconic strip for the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
Marching for the second time as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese joined thousands of attendees in embracing the night’s energy, even curating a “queer party playlist” featuring songs from the Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue.
The Prime Minister walked alongside the Rainbow Labor float, joined by Sydney MP and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
“She’s playing out at Homebush, there’s got to be some chance she’ll turn up here later on,” Albanese told the ABC, fuelling speculation that Minogue might make a grand entrance.
Although the ‘Padam Padam’ singer was performing at Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park, fans held out hope for a surprise appearance at the official Mardi Gras After Party at the Hordern Pavilion, where fellow Aussie star Troye Sivan was set to perform.
Instead, Minogue sent a heartfelt message to her fans via the live ABC broadcast, streaming in from her concert.
“Hi Mardi Gras. It’s me, Kylie. I’m on stage with my friends,” she said.
“We wanted to send you a message of love and here it is. All of us on the count of three… One, two, three… Happy Mardi Gras!”
Albanese, the first sitting Prime Minister to march in the parade in 2023, reflected on the progress of LGBTQI+ rights in Australia, acknowledging that while strides have been made, there is still work to be done.
“I’ve been coming to Mardi Gras for many decades now—just about every year since 1984,” he said.
“But it’s fun. It’s a celebration, and it shows a commitment to respecting people for who they are.”
The parade was led by the traditional Dykes on Bikes, LGBTQIA+SB First Nations communities, and the 78ers—activists who took part in the inaugural Mardi Gras in 1978.
This year’s theme, ‘Free to Be,’ was a call to embrace individuality and collective identity.
“Our theme is about making a statement to embrace and rejoice in our unique individuality as well as our collective identity,” said Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith.
“It is about the bravery to rise for each other in the darkest of times and protect the progress we’ve made, using it as a springboard toward the progress we deserve.”
More than 11,000 participants across 200 floats made their way from the northern end of Oxford Street, down Flinders Street, before finishing at Anzac Parade, Moore Park by 11pm.
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