Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

By Bobbi-Jo // 6 March 2010 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: Best Backpacker Job, special event, sydney

There are a lot of things you can accidentally do in Sydney.

>> Fall into Darling Harbour.
>> Go for days without managing to order a meal that doesn’t come with barbeque sauce, beet roots, or both on it.
>> Happen upon the biggest gay and lesbian festival in the world.

You know, those types of things.

So while I’m still trying to wrap my mind around why even breakfast isn’t spared from the reach what’s normally a lunch and dinner condiment, and I’ve officially left Sydney proper, meaning the danger of falling into the harbour is no longer present - even though I still need to watch out for other large, unprotected bodies of water - Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was by far the most random, fun and glitter filled experience that I happened upon during my two weeks in the city.

As with most things Mardi Gras related, it started with balloons.

I saw a bunch of multi-colored balloons flying in a park and - obviously - wanted to know what it was all about. It turns out that I had happened upon Fair Day, which is an all-day, well, fair, that celebrates the GBLT community. From what I gathered, it’s the largest one of its kind in the world, especially with other locations being targets of violence and vandalization. There were three stages with live music, TONS of food, booths, glitter, friendship, and people coming together without judgment or feelings of exclusion.

One organizer called the event, and community, a sort of support system. An attendee said it was just a great place to come together once a year to catch up with friends and have a good time. I thought it was amazing.

Fair Day took place about a week before the big event: The Parade.

I, for one, have never seen so many thongs in one place in my life.

And I’m from Miami, so that actually means a lot.

Like a lot of things on this trip, and in my life, things went from normal to silly in three seconds flat. Instead of covering the parade from the sidelines, your little travel ninja donned bright yellow tights, headbands, pink leg warmers and angel wings and got in on the action by actually marching in the parade. Thanks to the lovely guys at All Sorts Fitness and Wellbeing Centre, I was able to be on the front lines - dancing to such classics as Staying Alive and Baby Got Back for the tens of thousands of people lining Oxford Street to catch a glimpse of their favorite drag queen or Kath and Kim impersonators (who hilariously accompanied the All Sorts contingent throughout the entire parade, never breaking character in the midst of the peacock-feathered headpieces and 50-large group of Lady Gaga fan boys and girls dancing in unison to her greatest hits).

Calling it a rocking good time would not even begin to do it justice. You could tell that everyone in the parade was having the most amazing experience, and those watching from the stands (if they can remember it through their alcohol-infused hazes) were as well.

It’s a pretty special event to witness, people are pretty much bringing out their inner Ru Paul starting from about 48 hours before the actual parade. By the time I was running through Central Station in my angel wings headed to meet the group, not one person looked at me as though I was out of place. Probably because there were guys walking around in butt-less chaps and Village People-style costumes everywhere.

Sydney is fun always, but Mardi Gras is the icing on the cake if you’re looking for good times, good laughs, and lots of fabulosity.