Sydney World Pride 2023 Guide
With over 200 performances, parties and events, WorldPride is bringing the glitter-covered carnival down under.
Sydney is about to be painted the colours of the rainbow as it prepares for the world’s largest LGBTQI+ gathering, the WorldPride festival. Across three weeks from February 17, the city will host an estimated 1.2 million revellers, celebrating queer communities.
The official program features more than 200 events, from huge parties to family-friendly days out and world-class performances and exhibitions. The centrepiece is the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with the spectacular parade, on Saturday, February 25, returning to its “spiritual home” and now heritage-listed route along Oxford St for the first time since 2020 and the lifting of Covid restrictions. Sydney WorldPride will also welcome the homecoming of pop icon and queer ally Kylie Minogue, who headlines a festival program that features international superstars and local heroes.
Estimated to inject $845m into Sydney’s economy, this is the first time WorldPride has been held in the southern hemisphere. Here’s what revellers can expect.
Ticketed events at Sydney WorldPride
Live and Proud
February 24, 3-10pm
The Domain, one of Sydney’s biggest festival hubs, will kick off celebrations with the official Opening Concert. The show stars Kylie Minogue and Jessica Mauboy, joined by English pop singer Charli XCX, while Casey Donovan and Courtney Act will be presenters. It has sold out but take heart, the ABC will broadcast it live in the evening.
Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert
March 2, 7-9pm
The only WorldPride event to be held at the Sydney Opera House, this will be a huge display of First Nations LGBTQIA+ creativity. Hosted by “Faboriginal’’ comedian Steven Oliver, the evening will feature a line-up of musical and artistic acts. ARIA award-nominated artist Mo’Ju will perform, alongside musical duo Electric Fields and Kween Kong from Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under, the first drag queen of Samoan descent to compete in the franchise. Performances by pop singers Samuel Gaskin and the Merindas will be followed by Indigenous Canadian tenor Jeremy Dutcher, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Sold out.
Rainbow Republic
March 5, 3-10pm
What better way to end Sydney WorldPride than seven hours of live music? Taking place at The Domain, the 18+ event will feature a mix of queer international and local acts, including Australian non-binary rapper G-Flip and LGBTQIA+ singer Peach PRC. Global performers such as German singer Kim Petras, the first transgender artist to have a song top the charts in the US, and Muna, a queer American pop trio, join the line-up, which includes sets by Australian singer, actor and dancer Keiynan Lonsdale, the self-described “queerlectro” pop band Alter Boy, Indigenous hip hop artist BVT and Australian R&B singer Vetta Borne. Tickets from $139.
Domain Dance Party
February 26, 3-10pm
Superstar and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland promises to guide the crowd through an unforgettable evening, with seven hours of dance music in the Domain. As the sun sets over the Sydney skyline, take in a formidable bill of local and international DJs at this 10,000-strong open-air club. Tickets at $159 are selling fast.
Bondi Beach Party
March 4, 3-10pm
What could be more proudly Sydney than looking out over Bondi Beach and partying into the night? Headlined by Nicole Scherzinger and featuring an all-Australian DJ line-up, the Bondi Beach Party is the place to dance the night away. A fourth release of tickets, from $239, is on sale, but be quick.
The Mardi Gras Party
February 25, 10pm – February 26, 8am.
A certified icon, the Mardi Gras Party is the biggest and longest running LGBTQIA+ party in the southern hemisphere, and with WorldPride it’s certain to be the best. There’s a reason the parade (which will be telecast on the ABC from 7.30pm) ends in Moore Park: once dazzling costumes have been shown off along Oxford Street, the Entertainment Quarter explodes into an all-night rager. British pop queens Sugababes will take centre stage, with more than 10,000 partygoers expected to be spilling out from the Hordern Pavilion and neighbouring venues Liberty Hall, Watson’s, The Courts and Peter Finch Lawn. Other acts include queer club favourite Agnes and First Nations electronic duo Electric Fields. The party is sold out but the parade is open to all.
Marri Madung Butbut – First Nations Gathering Space
February 23-28
Carriageworks in Redfern will host a mini-festival of First Nations art, performance and creativity. Events will include theatre, drag, cabaret, art exhibitions, concerts and a circus Marri Madung Butbut, which translates as Many Brave Hearts, will feature both ticketed and free events, including Bloodlines, an exhibition honouring the artists lost to HIV/AIDS, and Klub Village, a drag cabaret experience by Kween Kong. Tickets from $20.
Free events at Sydney WorldPride
Fair Day
February 19, 10am-9pm
A favourite during Sydney’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations, Fair Day at Victoria Park in the inner west will once again be a big player. With more than 200 stalls ranging from retail to bars and food vendors, the free event will be swarming, with fine weather a bonus. Musical entertainment from Carla Weheb, Mama de Leche, Penelope Pettigrew and The Buoys will keep spirits up across multiple stages and dancefloors.
Oxford St Party
March 4, 12pm-1am; March 5 10am-10pm
You don’t need money to have a good time when Oxford St opens up for a weekend of festivities. Starting off during the day as part of WorldPride’s Pride Villages, the street will host stalls and performances for the family along a 600m stretch from Liverpool St to Flinders St. When the sun sets, it becomes an extravagant send-off for the festival, with concerts running late into the night. Free.
Pride Villages
February 24 – March 5, 10am-1am, but times can change daily.
For nine days, parts of Crown St and Riley St will be closed to host daily stalls, nightly gigs and weekend performances. Free.
Pride March
March 5, 7-10am
Sydney Harbour Bridge will be awash with rainbows as 50,000 people march over it to honour all that’s been achieved in the LGBTQIA+ community, while looking towards the future. The moment will also mark the 45th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week and the fifth anniversary of marriage equality in Australia. Entries to march are now closed.
Sydney WorldPride exhibitions and conferences
World Pride at the AGNSW
February 12 – March 5
The Art Gallery of NSW has unveiled a free WorldPride program staged across its newly expanded exhibition spaces. A display titled Queer Encounters will feature new works by Bhenji Ra, Dennis Golding and Sidney McMahon, providing a snapshot of Australia’s contemporary queer artists. Crowd-favourite event Queer Art After Hours will return, taking over the new North Building with installations, musical performances, DJs, workshops, pop-up bars and dining options. Other highlights include Art Gallery Cinema, which will present an afternoon of queer video works followed by a panel discussion with local artists.
Absolutely Queer at Powerhouse Museum
February 17 – December 1
This is a free exhibition exploring Sydney’s leading queer artists, showcasing the best in design, art, fashion, activism and multimedia. The works of award-winning Mardi Gras costume designer Rene Rivas, multidisciplinary artist Justin Shoulder, social justice activist and cartoonist Norrie and drag king performer Sexy Galexy will be featured.
Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference
March 1-3
The largest LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Conference to be held in the southern hemisphere will take place at the International Convention Centre and will combine keynote speakers with panels, roundtable discussions and interactive workshops. More than 60 presenters from around the world will share their experiences as members of the queer community. Tickets $25.
Sydney WorldPride events outside of the city
Pink Salt
February 18, 6-10pm
Sydney WorldPride events aren’t confined to the city, with festivities occurring in places such as Newcastle, two hours’ north. At Pink Salt, a culinary experience, friends and family can gather to eat, drink and take part in the LGBTQIA+ celebration. Newcastle’s community piazza The Station will be transformed into a supper club, where a long table dinner party will be held for one night only. A three-course menu will be prepared by chefs Christine Manfield, Nornie Bero and Newcastle local, Reece Hignell. Tickets from $165.
SWARM Film Festival
February 23, 6-10pm
Skyline Drive-In in Blacktown will host the premiere of SWARM, a film festival inspired by Black, radical cinema. From $40 a car.
Choir Boy
February 14 – March 11
The Tony Award-winning play Choir Boy will have its Australian premiere at Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta, telling the story of a young gay man finding his voice in the midst of WorldPride. Co-directed by Dino Dimitriadis and Zindzi Okenyo, it explores sexuality, race and hope. Tickets $55.
Accommodation at Sydney WorldPride
Sheraton Grand Sydney
Looking over Hyde Park, the Sheraton Grand Sydney turns a trip to WorldPride into a romantic getaway. Until March 5, Sheraton is offering a free hour of cocktails in its Conservatory Bar, buffet breakfast for two and a “recovery pack’’, with rates from $649 a night.
Sydney Harbour Marriott
Celebrate with a panoramic view at Sydney Harbour Marriott, Circular Quay. On offer is a Pride and Joy Couples Package, which includes a bottle of wine, access to its Executive Lounge and a late check-out. Until March 6, with rates from $609 a night.
Pullman Hyde Park
With Oxford Street at the front door, the Pullman Hyde Park puts guests in the middle of WorldPride. The hotel is kicking off proceedings with its Pre-game For The Parade lunch, with a five-hour food and drink package, drag shows and DJs. Rooms from $265; Pre-game For The Parade $229.
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