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Australia to host Sydney WorldPride in 2023, announce huge celebration

WorldPride is heading to Australia in 2023!

2023 is a huge year – not only are we celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Pride Week, but it is also the 45th Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and the 5th anniversary of marriage equality. So, of course, over in Australia, Sydney WorldPride are putting on the celebration that the occasion truly deserves.

As anybody that has visited Sydney for Mardi Gras knows, it’s the most fabulous time of the year. The city comes alive, the pubs and clubs are heaving, the theatres are full, the sun is shining, the beaches glisten, and the atmosphere is electric with rainbow vibrancy.

Sydney’s famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a must-do in the calendar of global Pride festivals, and Sydney WorldPride – transforming the city from Friday 17 February until Sunday 5 March – is set to be a 17-day celebration of Australian LGBTQIA+ fabulousness, with over 300 events held across the city.

Sydney WorldPride 2023

  • February 18, 2023, – Pink Salt @ The Station, Newcastle
  • February 19, 2023, – Mardi Gras Fair Day (free event)
  • February 20, 2023, – Mardi Gras Paradiso Pool Party @ Ivy Pool Club
  • February 23, 2023, until February 28 – First Nations Gathering Space (free entry to main space, plus ticketed performances)
  • February 24, 2023, – Live & Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert @ Domain
  • February 24, 2023, – Pride Villages (free event)
  • February 25, 2023, – Mardi Gras Parade (free and paid viewing available) @ Flinders Street
  • February 25, 2023, – Mardi Gras Party @ Hordern Pavillion and surrounds
  • February 26, 2023, – Mardi Gras Laneway @ The Beresford and Hill St
  • February 26, 2023, – Domain Dance Party @ Domain
  • March 1, 2023, – Mardi Gras Kaftana Pool Party @ Ivy Pool Club
  • March 1, 2023, until March 3 – Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference @ ICC Sydney
  • March 2, 2023, – Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert @ Sydney Opera House
  • March 3, 2023, – Ultra Violet @ Sydney Town Hall
  • March 3, 2023, – Mardi Gras Laugh Out Proud @ Enmore Theatre
  • March 4, 2023, – Bondi Beach Party @ Bondi Beach
  • March 4, 2023, – Mardi Gras Sissy Ball @ Sydney Town Hall
  • March 5, 2023, – Rainbow Republic @ Domain
  • March 5, 2023, – Pride March (free entry via ballot) @ Sydney Harbour Bridge

General Public tickets go on sale from Friday 15 July @ 11am NZST

Find tickets

What is there to do at Sydney WorldPride 2023?

With over 300 events across the WorldPride Official, WorldPride Arts, WorldPride Sports and Pride Amplified, there is a lot to see and do this Sydney WorldPride.

Here are some of the exciting one-off major events you don’t want to miss:

  • Live & Proud – Sydney WorldPride’s Opening Concert – Head to The Domain to get the party started, with the night hosted by Courtney Act and Casey Donovan.
  • Pride March – 50,000 people will join this historic Pride march across one of the world’s most-recognisable landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
  • Bondi Beach Party – For one day only, the sandy jewel of Sydney will become the city’s hottest club for 12,000 people.
  • The Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference – The largest LGBTQIA+ human rights conference ever held in Asia-Pacific region.
  • Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert – Experience a rainbow explosion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ artistry, across a two-hour concert hosted by Steven ‘’Faboriginal’ Oliver at the Sydney Opera House.
  • Ultra Violet – An inclusive LGBTQIA+ women’s party at Sydney’s Town Hall where Drag Kings, burlesque stars, and cabaret performers take to the stage.
  • Rainbow Republic – Six hours of live music, DJs, and performances await you at The Domain, featuring a queer megamix of international and local acts.
  • Pink Salt – An outdoor long table dinner to be hosted at The Station in Newcastle, prepared by a queer chef, featuring live performances and outrageous design.
  • Domain Dance Party – Dance with 10,000 of your mates at the biggest LGBQTIA+ outdoor dance party Australia has ever seen.
  • First Nations Gathering Space – held at Carriageworks and running across six nights, featuring exhibits, theatre, dining and drag.
  • Pride Villages – for 10 days from 24 February, sections of Crown Street and Riley Street will be closed and become home to stalls, dining and performances. On the final weekend of Sydney WorldPride, a section of Oxford Street itself will be closed to create a giant street party.

As well as Sydney WorldPride’s major events, there will be over 60 specially-curated arts and more than 20 sporting events as part of WorldPride Arts and WorldPride Sports.

We’re incredibly excited to welcome the world’s LGBTQIA+ communities to our city for Sydney WorldPride and Mardi Gras. This event will not only showcase the iconic surrounds of Sydney and NSW as a premier tourist destination, but it will also boost the profile of the Mardi Gras Festival to international audiences, creating a legacy that will have an important impact for the growth of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and our community in years to come.

Gil Beckwith, Chief Financial Officer, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Sydney WorldPride will transform Sydney, Australia from Friday 17 February until Sunday 5 March. Tickets to select ticketed events are on sale via Ticketmaster and Moshtix.