In pretty excellent news for Sydneysiders everywhere, the WorldPride festival will see our city come alive with the biggest First Nations LGBTQIA+ program to ever go down in Australia. This is not a drill.
Marri Madung Butbut (pronounced Mah-ree Mah-dung Bootboot) is one of the biggest and brightest jewels in Sydney WorldPride’s crown, and we couldn’t be more about it. Kicking off on February 23 and running until February 28 inside the hallowed halls of Carriageworks on Gadigal Land, this sparkling extravaganza of First Nations queer creatives, artists and peformers will be unlike anything Sydney – or the nation – has ever seen before.
Each day (and night), Carriageworks will be taken over by a plethora of parties, performances and experiences that each individually look set to blow our collective minds.
There will be 11 totally free events on show (that all look bloody good), including the big opening party dubbed Djarraba Disco (Feb 23). There is also Tidda Bingo – a free bingo game on steroids led by Western Sydney’s Tyra Bankstown (Feb 27); the chance to sing your heart out at Queer Koori-oke (Feb 27); Ōvah Ōvah, a Pasifika variety show celebrating femme Fa’afafine performers (Feb 26); and the big-time closing party New Gen Takeover: The Future is Blak (Feb 28), where everyone is invited to get down and party in a big closing celebration of emerging First Nations talent. This is just the tip of this glittery cost-free iceberg, but you can read all about the many other epic free events that are on right here.
On top of the many experiences that’ll cost ya zero dollars, there will also be a number of incredible ticketed parties and performances that we reckon are definitely worth their salt.
Whether it be a glittering night of Miss First Nations: Supreme Queen (Feb 26, 27, 28), where eight drag queens battle it out for the big-time title; or the dazzling Klub Village (Feb 23-27), a circus cabaret and dance experience all about First Nations and queer allied stories led by the fabulous Kween Kong (Drag Race Down Under S2), there is so many good things on that we know it’s going to be hard choosing where to go.
Families can hit up Camp Culture (Feb 25-26), an all-ages interactive circus show with Dale Woodbridge-Brown which is sure to delight everyone, no matter how many years they have on the clock; while everyone else can head to the Ailan Songs Project (Feb 26) for a night full of historical songs from the Torres Strait, where a mix of ancient languages and tropical island reggae beats look set to transport us somewhere far away. Plus, for all those who like a little provocation, think about seeing Daddy (Feb 23-24) a subversive and hilarious play that’s all about colonialism and looking for love in the world of Grindr (spoiler: a lot of powdered sugar will be used as a theatrical device).
Ultimately, there’s something poppin' on for everyone. Marri Madung Butbut is a groundbreaking thing for all Australians, with it bringing an essential sparkle to Sydney WorldPride that needs to be there. This is nailed down in the words of Ben Graetz, the festival creative director for Sydney WorldPride:
“It’s so important that we celebrate the creativity and brilliance of not only the oldest living culture on the planet, but the oldest LGBTQIA+ culture as well. Marri Madung Butbut is a place where everyone is welcome to experience the rainbow heart of the oldest surviving culture on the planet.”
We know that we don’t want to miss this.
All tickets to Marri Madung Butbut for First Nations people of any nation are $20 (plus booking fee) and can be found here, while general admission tickets can be found here.
