Yes—in 2023, Sydney will be hosting WorldPride and we cannot wait.
While Sydney already has one hell of an epic annual Pride event (and one of the largest in the world, just FYI), come 2023, the 45th edition of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be amped up massively by being hosted alongside WorldPride.
Sydney WorldPride 2023 will kick off on Friday 17 February and run for a mega 17-day sprint. The festival involves hundreds of next-level Pride events, like a huge party on Bondi Beach, Pride Villages throughout the inner city, a WorldPride human rights conference, a Blak and Deadly First Nations gala at the Sydney Opera House, an inclusive women's party at town hall, and a huge Pride March across the Harbour Bridge to wrap it all up. Take a look at the full suite of events here.
"In just a few months, Sydney will be transformed as more than 500,000 people come together for the global family reunion LGBTQIA+ people have been waiting for,” said Sydney WorldPride COO, Gabriel Pinkstone. "It’s the biggest summer event of 2023 and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to celebrate Pride with Australia’s diverse LGBTQIA+ community.”
In other epic news, after two years at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney's beloved Mardi Gras Parade will return to its rightful Oxford Street home.
Mardis Gras night of nights held strong and carried on at the SCG in 2021 and in 2022—proving that nothing, not even 'Rona, could rain on this particular parade—but ticketed seating and the loop around the cricket field were hardly a match for the iconic (and free) dance down Oxford Street.
Early-bird tickets for Sydney WorldPride events will go on sale from 9am Monday 11 July. Regular-release tickets will then go on sale from 9am Friday 15 July. Sign up over here to get yours.
Staying in Sydney? Check out our pick of Sydney's best hotels and Sydney's best Airbnbs.
The Details
What: Sydney WorldPride 2023
When: Friday 17 February - Sunday 5 March, 2023
Where: Throughout Sydney
Tickets: Register here
2023 will be big for Sydney—South by South West is also hitting our shores for the first time.
Image credit: Sydney WorldPride 2023