Sydney’s first ‘gay Olympics’ filled with colour, inclusivity and fun

THE countdown to Sydney WorldPride is on, with just one week until the city welcomes 78,000 tourists to the Southern Hemisphere’s first ‘gay Olympics’.

THE countdown to Sydney WorldPride is on, with just one week until the city welcomes 78,000 tourists to the Southern Hemisphere’s first ‘gay Olympics’.

Over 17 days there will be a whopping 300 events, and hundreds of live performances rolled out across the city and state.

Organisers say the festival will inject $112 million into the local economy, millions more indirectly to small businesses, and revitalise Oxford Street “the spiritual home” of the LGBTQ+ community.

WorldPride chief executive Kate Wickett welcomed members of NSW Government, famous drag queens, and media to Oxford Hotel on Thursday morning to officially open Sydney’s Pride Villages.

Oxford, Crown, and Riley streets will be closed to vehicles from next Friday, and come alive with street dining, market stalls, and free live performances

Drag Queens Verushka Darling, Coco Jumbo, Danni Issues, Space Horse and Karna Ford. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“When we invite the world to the Oxford Street precinct, Taylor Square, and the surroundings, we will share who we are as Australians,” Wickett said.

“We are a diverse, inclusive, innovative and bloody fun community.”

It comes as Sydney’s WorldPride celebrations approach. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Minister the Arts and Tourism Ben Franklin said the Pride Villages, funded by the NSW Government for $3.2 million, would create hubs of joy and vibrancy “where everyone is welcome”.

“There’ll be half a million attendees, who will inject $112M into the NSW visitor economy. We’ve got a Human Rights conference, a Blak Gala, cultural and sporting events, regional events, a 50,000-person Pride March across the Harbour Bridge, capped off by the 45th Mardi Gras parade. This is great, not just for those involved, but for the whole state. It’ll bring people back to this part of Sydney, and put money into the pockets of store holders who have done it so tough over the last three years.”

The City of Sydney donated $300,000 to give the Oxford St precinct a Pride facelift, including shopfront activations, murals, banners, lighting, flower displays, and rainbow-crossing touch ups.

“We’re thrilled,” Wickett said. “The gates are open.”