PHOTOS: Aussie hotties served a feast for the eyes at Sydney Mardi Gras

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is one of Australia’s most iconic events, attracting upwards of 250,000 gay travelers Down Under each and every year.

Over the last two weeks, Australia’s LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities took over Sydney with boatloads of parties, art exhibitions, film screenings, and cultural performances, culminating in a parade last Saturday.

The Parade, a colorful and dazzling procession of pure self-expression, features a wide range of floats, costumes, and participants from local LGBTQ+ organizations.

Beyond this yearly celebration, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has played a significant role in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and raising awareness about issues affecting the community.

This year’s festivities were not free from controversy. As reported on our sister site LGBTQ Nation, leadership at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras decided to exclude NSW Police from Saturday’s parade.

“Having the NSW Police march this year could add to the distress within our communities, already deeply affected by recent events.” Parade officials added, “This decision was not made lightly.”

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade all started in 1978, gay celebrations were going on around the world for International Gay Solidarity Day and a small group of protesters took to the streets of Darlinghurst, Sydney to contribute and show their pride.

The protesters were met with police violence and arrests that only reinforced the need, and made them determined to celebrate gay Mardi Gras again next year.

The following months saw more protests and arrests which led to the Parliament of New South Wales repealing the law that police were using to justify arrests.

This made the first Mardi Gras march a major civil rights milestone for the community, and the following year around three thousand people marched incident-free. 

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has grown ever since, with hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ community members from Australia and around the globe coming back to celebrate year after year.