Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Prepare your glitter and sequins, because the Mardi Gras party is making a fabulous comeback.
After sitting out last year’s festival, the event will return on March 6 with a brand new home beneath Allianz Stadium.
The all-nighter will start after the 49th annual Mardi Gras parade, with the stadium’s underground tunnels transformed into a dance floor where thousands can boogie ’til morning.
“I know how much you missed it last year, and I missed it too. I promised that if we brought it back, we would do it properly. We’d give it the future it deserves,” Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson said at the festival’s 2027 launch on Thursday.
“We are re-imagining one of the most iconic parties in LGBTQIA+ history for a whole new era.”
He weaved vivid imagery of pulsating dance floors, world-class DJs and thousands of people coming together for one unforgettable night.
The event’s return is one of several major announcements for the 2027 festival, which will expand to 24 days, running from February 12 to March 7 under the theme Hyperbloom.
But Mardi Gras is about more than just a party, as it started as a protest in 1978 inspired by the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. This continues to shape its purpose nearly five decades later.
Matheson said the rights secured by the LGBTQIA+ community should never be taken for granted.
“What we know as queer people is that, whilst we have won rights like marriage equality and the ability to love each other and be ourselves, those rights are fragile,” he said.
“What we have seen around the world, whether it be in the US or even in Europe, is that those rights can be easily taken away.”
Matheson said members of the queer community and their allies “cannot be complacent”.
“We have to keep being visible, keep using our voice, keep being fabulous and keep marching,” he said.
“That’s what Mardi Gras and Hyperbloom is all about: being visible, being active, being out there and doing it together.”
With next year’s parade taking place just one week before the NSW state election on March 13, Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich said this provides an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community to make its voice heard.
“We do not have to accept that the rise in the far right is a real thing, that it can be challenged using the platforms that we have for change and for advocacy,” he said.
Next year’s extended program adds an extra week of celebrations as the festival prepares for its historic 50th anniversary in 2028.
Among the musical highlights for 2027 are Australian pop-rock duo Rogue Traders and Zippora, who will headline Fair Day at Victoria Park on February 14.
Elsewhere, the LGBTQIA+ women’s event Ultra Violet will move to Carriageworks, with Australian artist KU?KA set to headline.
A new free event, Rainbow Road Street Fair, will bring music, drag and performances to the streets of Darlinghurst, while the popular Kaftana and Paradiso Pool parties will also return.
The festival will also feature the return of Sissy Ball, celebrating its ninth year, and the Laugh Out Proud comedy gala, headlined by Josh Thomas.
With more than 100 additional events scheduled as part of the Mardi Gras+ program, the expanded festival is set to be one of its biggest yet.
“Mardi Gras is not just about Sydney, it’s about Australia. It’s about the birth of the modern queer rights movement in this country,” Matheson said.
“We’ve met with Prides from all over the world, including places where it’s not even legal for them to have their Pride. They look to Mardi Gras as a leader on the international stage.”
