Sydney’s iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which traditionally draws hundreds of thousands of revellers and international tourists, will not march through the city’s centre in 2021.
Instead, the 43rd edition of the parade on Oxford Street, which has been celebrated annually along the strip since 1978, will move to the nearby Sydney Cricket Ground, in a scaled-back, Covid-safe event.
To be held on Saturday 6 March, capacity for the event will be limited to 23,000 tickets – about half of the ground’s capacity – with organisers charging $20 for admission.
Albert Kruger, Mardi Gras chief executive, said the event will “move away from large floats, centring instead on the outlandish pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props that make it such a phenomenon to witness”.
“It was important to Mardi Gras that we rise to the occasion and to give the community the creative platform to express their pride to the world. The 2021 parade may look different to how it has been in the past, but we feel very lucky to be able to give this opportunity to our communities during these times.”
“Not only is the SCG close to our spiritual home of Oxford Street, but it also provides the safest venue for us to hold the event and meet requirements of physical distancing and contact tracing,” Kruger said.
🔊🏳️🌈 BREAKING NEWS!! 🏳️🌈🔊
— Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras (@sydneymardigras) November 5, 2020
Mardi Gras will take over the @scg for our COVID-Safe PARADE on Saturday 6 March 2021.
Applications open and ticket sales start Monday! #MardiGras2021
More info: https://t.co/NCWBAnyLSJ pic.twitter.com/ds890z6r8E
The Mardi Gras parade in 2021, with a theme of “rise”, will also be broadcast live on television.
Kruger said the parade will be the centrepiece of year-round events and initiatives in 2021 to better engage the LGBTQ+ community as it adjusts to pandemic-related restrictions.
Clover Moore, Sydney lord mayor, said it was “poignant that this year’s parade was the last major event held before we had to go into lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus”.
“I know many in our community, myself included, have held onto our happy memories of Mardi Gras 2020 to get us through this challenging year.
“Mardi Gras will look different in 2021, but importantly it will give us the opportunity to come together safely and celebrate. Of course, I look forward to the day when tens of thousands of Sydneysiders and visitors from around Australia and the world can gather on Oxford Street once more.”
The Covid-safe edition of Sydney’s Mardi gras will be the first in recent years to not welcome international tourists, with Australia’s border having remained closed since it was shut at the outbreak of the pandemic in March.
The Mardi Gras is the latest of Sydney’s world-famous events to be significantly scaled-back out of Covid-19 precaution.
In September, authorities outlined how a cut-back, shorter version of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks will go ahead this year, with local leaders pushing ahead with events as a symbol of hope to be “beamed around the world”.
Tickets for the 2021 Mardi Gras event go on sale on Monday 9 November here.
