Confetti, glitter, colour and eye-catching costumes will once again adorn Sydney streets as Mardi Gras promises two weeks of overwhelming joy and connection.
The 2026 event will mark 48 years since the first gay rights parade in 1978, and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras remains one of the world's most iconic LGBTQI festivals.
Next year the theme will be "Ecstatica", a rallying call to gather, connect and march for visibility, inclusion and self-expression.
"The queer community is fantastic at creating new forms of expression and 'ecstatica' is a new word that we have created," Mardi Gras interim chief executive Jesse Matheson told AAP.
"Mardi Gras provides our LGBTQI community with an overwhelming sense of joy and connectivity and this is a theme that is an expression, a feeling and a war cry in times of hardship."
The full 2026 program is to be revealed in coming weeks but key opportunities to get involved with the festival, such as booking a fair day stall or applying to enter a float in the parade, are already open for applications.
A new event for the trans and gender diverse community, Black Cherry, will be held at the National Art School.
Mr Matheson promised a "new look" festival program which had taken into account feedback and requests from across the LGBTQI community.
The Mardi Gras parade will return to Oxford and Flinders streets and the Taylor Square viewing area will be supersized to ensure as many people as possible can watch the festivities.
"We will be collaborating closely with local creatives, DJs, institutions and icons to deliver key events," Mr Matheson said.
"What we have been hearing is that people want more energy, more excitement and unstoppable and fearless connectivity and we have shifted the way that we communicate with our community to be the loud and proud and visible voice for them."
The Mardi Gras app will also be launched ahead of the festival which will be a digital home for people in the LGBTQI community.
The app will provide a map of Sydney, pointing out LGBTQI bars, venues, businesses and services for locals and visitors alike.
"There are over 80 events across sports, theatre, music and more and we really encourage everyone to take a look at what this fabulous diverse community is doing," Mr Matheson said.
"Sign up to a sports team, go watch a queer film, push yourself into a risque theatre show and expand your mind, that is what Ecstatica calls for."
Next year's event begins the march to the fiftieth anniversary to be celebrated in 2028 which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from across Australia and the world.
"We have over 400,000 people who come to Sydney for Mardi Gras, it is one of the countries largest events year on year delivered by a not-for-profit charity organisation," Mr Matheson said.
"We want to remember everyone who has marched in years past but also look forward to what the future has in store."
In 2023, Mardi Gras brought in $185.6 million to the NSW economy, a figure that grows year on year.
