Bondi by day, Oxford street by night.
Mardi Gras still carries the charge it started with, under the glitter. The season opens with a Progress Pride flag raised over Sydney Town Hall and runs three weeks — Fair Day, club nights, a film festival — before the parade closes it out. Oxford Street shuts to traffic for one night a year and the whole city turns out for it: warm air, harbour humidity, a week either side of the parade that runs its own course of parties.
The Program
Fair Day — Victoria Park, the first Sunday of the festival, free and in daylight: market stalls and local businesses, a dog pageant and drag competitions, drawing upward of eighty thousand people before the season properly gets going.
The Parade — steps off from Hyde Park in the early evening, running the length of Oxford Street to finish at Moore Park; the road closes to traffic from four in the afternoon.
The Mardi Gras Party — the parade's own after-party, at Moore Park, multiple stages running until eight the following morning.
Bondi Beach Party — fifteen thousand on the sand, international acts on a stage built for the one night.
The Sissy Ball — a vogue competition staged at Sydney Town Hall, part of the season's run of club nights.
The Closing — a laneway kick-on at the Beresford Hotel on the final Sunday, two until ten, before Morning Glory carries the last of it into Monday.
Where to Stay
Park Hyatt Sydney — on the harbour, close enough to reach anything by ferry.
Ace Hotel, Surry Hills — a few streets back from the noise, closer to where the smaller parties actually happen.