Australia [Sydney] | 2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade!! First, my verdict: this was seriously cool and unlike anything else. If you come to Australia, you absolutely have to experience this giant costume-party-like parade at least once!

This had already made my “Want” list before I even came to Australia. So even though I was working at a corn factory in Melbourne at the time, I bit the bullet and asked my supervisor for three days off, then booked my flight and a backpacker hostel online just a few days before the event. I headed straight from Melbourne to Sydney for three days and three nights of fun. (I had obviously only just arrived in Australia and still couldn’t settle down—fun first, saving money second :p!) Of course, the main event was this gay and lesbian parade!

[ These two golden guys were getting seriously worked up… ]    [ This “woman” was incredibly tall, with an outrageously dramatic face ]

Since the parade didn’t start until the evening, we spent the morning walking around the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. But before we knew it, we’d stayed out far too late.Although the event didn’t start until around 7:30 p.m., the crowds were enormous, and you normally had to arrive before four or five to claim a good spot.But we didn’t reach the event’s main street—Oxford Street—until after six. It was already packed and incredibly lively. Along the way, we also ran into people dressed in bizarre costumes who were clearly getting ready to join the parade. We immediately knew this was going to be a very different kind of parade!

[ All kinds of parade groups ]] This gay and lesbian parade really was like one gigantic costume party, with loads and loads of teams, each built around its own theme. As you can see above, there were groups dressed entirely in pink, groups carrying banners or signs, people dressed like Iron Man, people who looked like they belonged to some Southeast Asian religion XD, punk-looking people who also seemed to be cosplaying, and groups simply walking alongside floats.

Some teams simply walked past as a regular parade, while others played music and danced as they went.

The rainbow flags and rainbow-coloured symbols in the photos are symbols of the gay community.

[ Even the police and fire brigade joined in ]] Though I couldn’t tell whether they were actual police officers and firefighters or just cosplayers.Honestly, I felt that many of the people in the parade probably weren’t actually gay. Some were just joining in the fun as if it were a costume party, while others seemed to be companies there purely for publicity.They simply dressed more unusually and dared to show more skin. But there were also people who definitely looked gay XD. (Though honestly, I thought the staff along the route looked even gayer. They were probably from some kind of LGBT organisation XD.)

[ Bare-chested muscle-men special XD ]] Maybe gay men are supposed to be more muscular? Or perhaps they just wanted an excuse to show off. Either way, it definitely worked XD. Otherwise it would all have looked far too ordinary, right? Though a few groups consisted entirely of older men, and… well… we must respect the dignity of our elders!

[ Underwear-clad butt-shaking group XD ]] This group was full of men wearing nothing but tiny triangular bottoms—I couldn’t tell whether they were swim briefs or underwear—singing and dancing away. They looked like they were having the time of their lives, and the upbeat music and dancing got the whole crowd going. There were women in the group too, of course! But since they weren’t wearing bikinis, nobody was looking at them. The men were handsome and the women were beautiful, and they didn’t give off a particularly gay vibe either, so this was another group I had trouble believing were actually GAY XD. (But who knows?)

[ Full-on topless special ]] If there were hunks, then of course we needed some topless women to really get the party started!! Hahaha~ Though a few of them were a little painful to look at… The one at the bottom left was the only young hottie = =

[ Seriously eye-catching costumes, Part 1 ]] I just want to know… where did they get these clothes?! They were all incredibly cool. Even fully covered up, these people could still outshine the bare-chested and topless ones. So creative!You could even boost your creativity by watching the parade.Talk about getting several benefits at once!

[ Seriously eye-catching costumes, Part 2 ]] Even cartoon and movie characters came out! Another kind of attention-grabbing costume was the one that fit the theme perfectly: the “super GAY” look. There were people in drag—or perhaps simply dressed for their actual romantic role!

[ Seriously eye-catching and out in force ]] Many teams had only a few people in especially striking costumes, but some groups were distinctive from top to bottom. They might all interpret a single theme in their own way, such as fairy tales, or the entire group might dress in exactly the same cool costume. That really created an impressive spectacle!

[ Go to hell! Even vampires can be gay ]] This was one of my favourite groups. Their theme was vampires, and their costumes looked incredibly professional—just like a parade at Warner Bros. Movie World. They even carried a coffin while performing a vampire dance. I had no idea what any of it had to do with being gay, though… Honestly, I kept forgetting that I was watching a gay and lesbian parade and thought I was at Disneyland instead XD.

[ Float special, Part 1 ]] The earlier groups had all been walking along the street, but in factthere were loads of floats. Having a stage helped some of the costumes convey their themes and distinctive features even more effectively.

[ Float special, Part 2 ]] One word—cool! There were lots of daring outfits and performances, with people singing and dancing on the floats. The float in the first photo at the top left, packed with people who looked as though they belonged in a Greek temple, happened to stop in front of me for ages. They even sang YMCA and danced like crazy!

[ Float special, Part 3 ]] There were even floats that looked like deluxe versions of the electronic parade trucks seen in southern Taiwan. On some floats, though, the people simply rode past and waved at everyone like legislative candidates campaigning for votes = = Hahaha~ Even Virgin Blue had a float, but I strongly suspect it was just their flight attendants making an appearance rather than anyone actually being gay XD. It was basically just advertising and publicity.

[ Just like a regular march ]] Of course, some groups looked just like the marches in Taiwan, with people walking down the street in T-shirts—though the atmosphere here was much more cheerful.

[ A gay festival naturally needs gay people ]] I had no idea whether this woman was actually gay or just having fun and getting carried away. She kept randomly waving over people in the parade so she could make out with them, and I even turned it into an entire photo series. In any case, this was a parade centred on the gay community. Although plenty of spectators were only there for fun and to witness the spectacle (like me—quick, let me clarify!), there must also have been many gay people there. After all, it was probably the gay community’s biggest annual celebration and gathering. For example, the two men to my left quietly started holding hands as they watched. Later, a pair of women in front of me also leaned into each other and embraced.

Theparade started at around 7:30 p.m. and ended at about 10:30 p.m., lasting three hours. Australia is fairly open-minded about homosexuality, and the parade was especially huge. All I can say is that it was spectacular! It felt like watching a theme-park parade while taking in every facet of LGBT life. You could also see the slogans and creative performances people had devised to express their demands for equal rights, as well as all the imagination behind the different themes.
(Speaking of which,attitudes towards homosexuality really are much more open in Australia. You regularly see two men walking hand in hand on the street, while gay neighbourhoods and gatherings give the community spaces of its own. Being gay in Australia really does let you avoid quite a few conservative stares.)

Sydney Mardi Gras begins on the southern side of Hyde Park in central Sydney, at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Liverpool Street. It follows Liverpool Street to Sydney’s famous gay district on Oxford Street, then finishes at Moore Park. Some people prefer watching near the starting point at Hyde Park because they can see everyone getting ready, but you can watch the same parade anywhere along the route. It usually comes down to luck whether a group happens to stop, sing, or perform when it reaches your spot.

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