WorldPride kicks off with Kylie Minogue headlining opening concert

Kylie Minogue headlined WorldPride’s opening concert at The Domain on Friday night, kicking off 17 days of LGBTQ fun and festivities.

Surprising the audience was special guest Dannii Minogue, who strutted the stage with her big sister to mark WorldPride’s launch.

Kylie Minogue helps to launch Sydney WorldPride at The Domain on Friday night.Credit: Jessica Hromas

Also performing were British singer Charli XCX and Australian artist Jessica Mauboy. Casey Donovan and Courtney Act were hosting the event.

The concert was a sellout with 20,000 tickets issued.

Punters were let in from 3pm to enjoy food and drinks on site and for pre-show entertainment. The concert began at 7pm.

It was broadcast on ABC TV, ABC iview or ABC YouTube – the first time in 20 years that the broadcaster ran coverage of the parade nationally.

The Minogue sisters on stage.Credit: Getty Images

Excitement was high ahead of Saturday’s Mardi Gras Parade, set down for between 6pm and 11pm.

The parade will go up Oxford Street and down Flinders Street before ending on Anzac Parade.

Organisers of WorldPride expect about 500,000 people to attend the event.

Earlier on Friday, the Qantas pride flight landed in Sydney after taking the trip from Los Angeles with notable figures such as the flight’s official Queens Qantana, Vybe and Felicity Frockaccino landing in Australia.

Jessica Mauboy performs at the opening of Sydney WorldPride at the Domain.Credit: Jessica Hromas

WorldPride 2023 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the Mardi Gras Parade and the fifth anniversary of the Australian marriage equality plebiscite.

Sydney Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger says WorldPride would allow Australians to reflect on the movement’s next steps.

“Here in NSW, religious schools can still discriminate against LGBTQI students and teachers, trans and gender diverse people face cruel barriers accessing identity documents that recognise them for who they are, and LGBTQI people are still subject to conversion practices,” he said.

“We still have a way to go and our festivities are just as relevant now as they were in 1978.”

With AAP

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