SeeCity East

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Australia's biggest celebration of gay and lesbian culture, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras comprises a two-week festival including a fair, exhibitions, fundraising events and parties. The first Mardi Gras was held in 1978, more as a political demonstration. However over the years following it has developed into a large scale cultural festival. The Mardi Gras season culminates in a colourful night-time street parade which winds its way up Oxford St to Taylor Square before turning down Flinders St, and ending up at the Showgrounds. The all-night party that follows the parade is a Sydney institution.

Website: mardigras.org.au (opens in a new tab)

Suggest a nearby place

Listing from Wikivoyage: Sydney/City East, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

No exact location on record.

More in Sydney

SeeCity Centre
ANZAC Memorial
A large war memorial in the middle of the city, built after World War I. It is a focus of military memorial events in New South Wales and includes a museum which covers the experiences of NSW citizens who have served in the Australian military.
except Good Fri & Christmas DayFree
SeeCity East
Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool
A famous yet paradoxically little known location overlooking Wooloomoloo bay and near to the Botanic gardens. It was a popular swimming location with Indigenous Aboriginals before the arrival of Europeans in Australia. The pool was also the venue for the sporting triumphs of Australian swimming legend Andrew Boy Charlton in the 1920s and is believed to be the birthplace of the Australian Crawl or freestyle swimming stroke.
Sep–Apr, non-daylight saving: daily 6AM-7PM, Daylight Saving: daily 6AM-8PMAdult $5.50, concession $4.10, family $15.30, additional family member $2, spectator $2.70
SeeThe Rocks
Argyle Cut
Follow Argyle St through this historic sandstone road cutting made between 1843 and 1867, made with the effort of both convict and paid labour. The sights and sounds of the convict labour, still bound in chains and working only with crude tools, horrified the locals and the cutting was abandoned after just three years. A long interlude lasted before the city council eventually linked Millers Point and The Rocks together with the use of paid labour and explosives.
SeeCity East
Australian Centre for Photography
ACP established in 1973. The ACP initiated the first major retrospectives of work by photographers such as Max Dupain, Olive Cotton and Merv Bishop, and organised the early public displays of photographs by Bill Henson, Tracey Moffatt, William Yang and Trent Parke and has presented works by international photo-artists such as Bernd & Hilla Becher, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Larry Clark, Joan Fontcuberta, Nan Goldin, Roni Horn, George Platt Lynes, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michals, Pierre Molinier, Erwin Olaf, Martin Parr, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans and William Wegman.
Tue-Fri noon-7PM, Sat Sun 10AM-6PMFree