With three weeks of queer art, joy and pride, Sydney shined bright like a diamond with events, activations and pop-ups nestled throughout the city that celebrated the queer community in all its glory.
As the glitter only just begins to settle on a historic (and dare I say, iconic) stint of WorldPride hosted for its first time in the Southern Hemisphere, we thought we’d recap our stand-out moments across the hundreds of events across our great city.
1. Pride Villages
Darlinghurst transformed into the beating heart of WorldPride for the entirety of the festival. Crown and Riley Streets were reimagined with free performances and street parties galore, stacked with vibrant dining stalls, markets and makeshift bars. And to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Oxford Street transformed once more into a free street party during the last weekend of festivities.
2. Bondi Beach Party
Headlined by former Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger, alongside an all-Australian DJ lineup, Sydney’s most iconic beach transformed into the city’s hottest club of 12,000 fans. Over seven hours, punters danced from day to dusk and into the night, feeling the sea breeze on their face - all in the name of queer extravaganza. Something so unique was certainly the ability to produce an event of this caliber on the beach. As an extension to the sandy shores, a large makeshift stage featuring LED screens, immense sound system and pyrotechnics with a view back towards the grassy hills. Safe to say some needed a lifesaver after this one.
3. Mardi Gras Parade
Lo’ and behold, the official Mardi Gras Parade made its triumphant return to Oxford Street after its temporary home at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Crowds flooded the street donned in their best and brightest with too many feather boas to count in the ultimate celebration of queer love and protest. Led by First Nations, 78ers and the Dykes on Bikes, the parade was a beautiful spectacle of often amusing but always impressive floats. The parade is a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go.
4. Sissy Ball
Inspired by the ballroom culture born in the 1920s and popularised by Black and Latino communities in New York in the ’80s and ’90s, Australia’s own Sissy Ball was formed in 2019. Year after year, the ball continues to thrive in bringing together the queer, trans and gender-diverse families - known as “houses”. Gathering in Sydney Town Hall, legendary houses from across the globe competed to snatch trophies in a series of categories that represented joy, embodiment and of course, fantasy.
5. Pride March on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Last and certainly not least was the historic march across one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks - the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Marking the final day of festivities, a rainbow-garbed crowd of 50,000 walked across the landmark in a powerful statement of visibility and honoured all trailblazers before us. It was truly the cherry on top in celebrating all that has been achieved in the global efforts for LGBTQIA+ equality while acknowledging the work that is still to be done.
Written by Joshua Campbell. Associate Producer at Sense Group. Not surprised by his high screen time.