Sydney Mardi Gras Festival ( English Sydney Mardi Gras ) - the annual festival of LGBT culture, held in February-March in Sydney ( Australia ). Mardi Gras attracts a huge number of tourists from around the world. The festival is the largest in the world and includes various events such as sports events ( Eng. Bondi Beach Drag Races ), beach parties ( Eng. Harbor Party ), lectures on LGBT topics ( Eng. Queer Thinking ), Film festival ( Eng. Mardi Gras Film Festival ). The festival opens on the second Thursday of February with a “Day of Justice” in Victoria Park ( Eng. Fair Day ), which is attended by over 70,000 people and ends on the first Saturday of March with the world's largest [1] pride parade and party ( Eng. Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and Party ).
| Sydney mardi gras | |
|---|---|
| Officially | Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras |
| Is celebrated | from June 24, 1978 |
| Since | second Thursday of February |
| By | first Saturday of March |
Content
Justice Day
Justice Day can be described as friendship day, which is the official opening day of the Mardi Gras festival. On this day, everyone is given the opportunity to get acquainted with gay culture, chat with representatives of the LGBT community, their relatives and friends. About 70,000 people visit Victoria Park every year.
Parade
The Mardi Gras Festival ends with the annual Pride Parade . About 8500 people and about 300 thousand spectators participate in the costume parade [2] . Various organizations present their colorfully designed platforms. The parade is attended by Australian political parties and public organizations, Amnesty International , PFLAG , representatives of the armed forces , trade unions , rescue and fire services, as well as various media and many others.
The 1.7-kilometer parade route runs along Oxford Street, then along Flinders Street to Hyde Park and repeats the parade route on ANZAC Day . Traffic in this area is blocked. During the parade, spectator seats are located along its route.
The parade traditionally begins with the passage of Plesbians on motorbikes ("Dykes on Bikes") [3] along Oxford Street, which is often accompanied by fireworks .
The parade commander ( Grand Marshal ) is annually elected - a person who conveys the spirit of the holiday. In different years they became:
- 2007 - Actor Rupert Everett
- 2008 - actress Margaret Cho
- 2009 - Olympic champion Matthew Mitchum
- 2010 - Model Amanda Lepore
- 2011 - actress Lily Tomlin
Despite its name, the “Mardi Gras Parade” is not held on Tuesday, but on Saturday and is not directly related to the Mardi Gras holiday [4] .
Party (Parade Finale)
The night party after the parade is an integral part of Mardi Gras. At the moment, this is one of the largest dance events in Australia. The party is held in the Horden Pavilion building in the Moore Park area . The party was first held in 1980. Then she was visited by 700 people. In 1998, the event was attended by a record 27,000 people. Every year, the number of people buying party tickets varies from 17,000 to 20,000.
In 2010, due to errors in planning the festival, the party did not take place on the night after the parade. In 2012, the party was expected to have 15,000 participants.
Every year, various stars give concerts at the party:
- 1990 - Sam Becco, Marcia Hines
- 1994 - John Paul Young, Kylie Minogue
- 1995 - Fight George
- 1996 - Trudy Valentine, Thelma Houston
- 1997 - Chaka Khan , Village People
- 1998 - Jimmy Summerville , Kylie Minogue, Danny Minogue
- 1999 - Danny Minogue, Marcia Hines, Erin Hamilton, Jimmy Barnes
- 2001 - Vanessa Amorosi, Sheena Easton , Christine Anu
- 2002 - Human Nature, Bardot, Deborah Cox
- 2003 - Susanne Palmer
- 2005 - Nikki French, Darren Hayes , Tina Arena, Courtney Act
- 2006 - Baby Marcelo, Jimmy Summerville
- 2007 - Young Divas, Boy George
- 2008 - Cindy Loper , Olivia Newton John
- 2009 - Alison Gere, Tina Arena
- 2010 - George Michael , Kelly Roland , Adam Lambert , Amanda Lepore
- 2011 - Winter Gordon , Alexis Jordan , Frankie Knuckles , Larry T., Mark Trevorov
- 2012 - Kylie Minogue , RuPaul , Sneaky Sound System , Shauna Jensen , Sam Sparro
- 2013 - Loreen , Delta Goodrem , Heather Small , The Presets , Jake Shears
- 2014 - Tina Arena , Courtney Act , Samantha Jade , Marcia Hines , Nathan Mahon , Adam George [5]
- 2015 - Dannii Minogue , Nick Jonas , Jessica Mauboy , Jake Shears , Betty Who , Rufus Wainwright , Courtney Act
- 2016 - Conchita Wurst , Deborah Cox , Courtney Act , Kitty Glitter , Yo! MAFIA , Colin Gaff , Dirty Pop
Lighting
A special guide is published annually that covers the events that will take place at the festival. In addition, in 1995 [6] , 1997, 2002 and 2003, a special multi-disc edition of compilations and sets from all parties of the festival was released.
Mardi Gras Parade is widely covered in the media . In 2011, it was broadcast on Joy Radio 94.9 FM , Melbourne and 2SER 107.3 FM, Sydney. The parade was also fully shown live on Arena (FOXTEL). The hosts of the broadcast were: dancer Louis Spence (“ Cats ”), TV presenters Charlotte Dawson (“ Top Model in Australian ”) and Ruby Rose (“ MTV Australia ”), as well as Olympic champion Matthew Mitchem and comedian Caroline Reed (in the image) "Pam Ann"). The parade was also broadcast on the radio via the Australian Satellite Radio Network (CBAA).
Support
Criticism
Mardi Gras Festival is constantly criticized by various religious organizations due to, in their opinion, the undermining of traditional Christian values. Former Minister and Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Representative of the United Church of Australia Fred Neal, is known for praying annually for rain on the day of the parade.
The Mardi Gras festival faced the most serious criticism in the early years of the AIDS outbreak, as well as in 1994 when the Australian Broadcasting Corporation first broadcast the Mardi Gras Parade on television.
Notes
- ↑ The largest gay parade held in the dark.
- ↑ Lema Samandar . Sydney Mardi Gras focuses on gay marriage , Ninemsn News (March 5, 2011). Archived on May 3, 2011. Date of treatment April 8, 2011.
- ↑ The number of participants varies and is usually around 200 people.
- ↑ Mardi Gras 2009 Parade (link not available) . New Mardi Gras . mardigras.org.au. Date of treatment January 17, 2009. Archived June 7, 2011.
- ↑ Akersten, Matt . Aussie stars shone at kaleidoscopic Mardi Gras 2014 , Same Same (March 3, 2014). Archived on March 7, 2014. Date of treatment March 7, 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Melanie K. Issues in cultural tourism studies . - London: Routledge, 2003 .-- P. 151-152. - ISBN 0415256372 .