If you’re anything like me, you probably still feel like you’re in recovery mode from Sydney WorldPride last year. But that has done nothing to dull my excitement about the return of Sydney Mardi Gras (check out our festival guide here), a time where the city is dressed to the nines in rainbow banners, and everyone has the chance to feel their oats and celebrate the freedom of diverse sexuality and gender expression. This festival doesn’t begin and end with the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, oh no.
There are hundreds of events taking over the city, and I’ve rounded up some of my top picks for safe and fun places to gather this Gay Christmas. These selections have been organised with and for queer community, and I have a feeling in my waters that they will be places of genuine connection during a festival that has the potential to be washed out by the corporatisation of the pink dollar. We must never forget that the first Sydney Mardi Gras march was a riot. Especially when hateful and misguided attitudes about LGBTQIA+ people still pervade – just earlier this month, a Sydney council essentially banned drag. Stay safe out there, look out for your mates, and celebrate love like it’s your gosh dang human right!
The Sydney Mardi Gras events I’m looking forward to...
Mardi Gras Munch
The Sunshine Inn is that cosy restaurant-bar emitting warm rays of hospitality on Redfern Street. I find that this place really walks the walk when it comes to promoting a safe space, and they have a killer wine list and a luxe vegan-friendly menu (that keeps carnivores quiet) to boot! The Inn is teaming up with Transgenre (a DIY initiative celebrating trans and non-binary voices in Australian music) to host the gayest brunch you’ll ever munch.
Tickets to this boozy affair include vegan-friendly, breakfast-inspired dishes from head chef Lizzie Tillett. On the menu: carrot lox on rye, handmade pasta and shakshuka with vegan scrambled eggs, an assortment from the plant-based pastry wizards at Glebe’s Oh My Days, pet nats from natural wine connoisseur Tim Wildman, and tropical sgroppino with gelato from Redfern’s Ciccione & Sons. The festivities will be accompanied by a host of DJs courtesy of Transgenre, with 100 per cent of profits from tickets being donated to BlaQ (a Redfern-based organisation who seek to empower, support and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the LGBTQ+SB community). This is the perfect mid-Mardi Gras month pitstop, gather a crew and join the party.
Sunday Feb 25, from noon – at The Sunshine Inn, 180 Redfern St, Redfern. Tickets are $80pp for bookings of three, $75pp for bookings of four or more and you can book in over here.
Photograph: Supplied/The Sunshine Inn | Mardi Munch
The Mardi Gras Debutante Ball
This sparkly event will transform Oxford Street’s iconic Kinselas Hotel into a grand and inclusive space full of pomp and ceremony, subverting the conservative roots of the traditional ‘Debutante Ball’. The stacked line-up of fabulous entertainers is headed up by none other than beloved singer, actress and Mardi Gras first timer Natalie Bassingthwaighte (The Nat Bass!? MOTHER!?) who is coming out to inspire other first timers to embrace love and truth in this queer excellence facilitated by Johnnie Walker.
Thursday, February 22, 6.30-10.30pm – at Kinselas, 383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst. Tickets start at $25, with all proceeds going to Equality Australia, and you can snap them up over here.
Homage
I am warming up my pipes to sing along at Homage, a spin-off of Maeve Marsden’s wildly popular Queerstories project, that’s bringing a bunch of fabulous performers to the already fabulous Hayes Theatre Cabaret Season. The show is hosted by Maeve and the Hayes' co-artistic director Victoria Falconer with a line-up featuring Brendan Maclean, Tom Sharah, Vidya Makan, Malaika Mfalme (Thursday and Saturday) and RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under runner-up Kween Kong (Sunday). Any hit song is game for performance, but the one condition is that it must have been made big by a queer artist.
Thursday, February 22 to Sunday 25 – at Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point. Tickets can be snapped up for $43-$49 over here.
Two Queers Comedy Festival
The comedic duo that puts the queer joy (and tear-away-pants) into Sydney’s comedy scene is bringing their festival of funnies back over two big weeks, just for Sydney Mardi Gras. Two Queers Comedy Festival is fronted by notorious homosexuals Brendan Hancock (proud THOT, curly hair advocate, surprisingly good at piano) and Jenna Suffern (self-professed "big lesbian", creator/star of It’s Not Funny, It’s Private). Find out more about the eclectic line-up of stand-up, drag and comedy cabaret taking over the basement of Kinselas over here. I’m especially pumped to see Etcetera Etcetera and Art Simone in As Seen On TV.
Shows until February 29 – at Kinselas, 383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst. Tickets are $15-$50 and you can snap them up over here.
Photograph: Supplied/Absolut X | Kat Dopper from Heaps Gay
Absolut X The House of Music and Booze
Nights out don’t get much better than an inclusive party curated by one of Sydney’s top queer collectives, especially when it’s free to attend. Subcultures will unite when Heaps Gay, Angels Only and Xaddy’s Door List get together for a weekend-long, day-to-night takeover at The House of Music & Booze in St Peters. Suss out the vibe over here.
Friday, February 23 to Sunday, February 25 – at The House of Music & Booze, 161 Princes Highway, St Peters. RSVP over here.
Back to Birdy
It’s no secret that I’m a theatre nut, especially when it comes to something unconventional, with deeply considered storytelling. Hence, I am very on board for this premiere production from Fruit Box Theatre, which is taking place in the basement of The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, and set at Birdcage (a long-running sapphic club night). Created by and starring an all queer and trans team, Back to Birdy is a candid and humorous exploration of long-standing friendships, identity politics, and the evolving landscape of queer spaces. Find out more over here. (And stay on after the show for Corky’s Club, see below!)
February 21 to March 1, various times – at The Imperial Hotel, 35 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville. Tickets are $25-$42. You can find out more and snap up your tix over here.
Corky’s Club
Ever wondered what a strip club is like, but been too scared to enter such a cishet space? Here's your chance to get up close and personal with Warrang/Sydney's hottest LGBTQIA+ dancers. Corky’s Club has joined the throng of fabulous events taking over Erskineville’s legendary Imperial Hotel for Mardi Gras (peep the full program here). There will be pole/strip shows, lapdances, DJ sets, a dance floor and plenty of tipping dollar$$$ for you to buy and shower the dancers in.
Friday, February 23 from 9pm – at the Imperial Hotel, 35 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville. Tickets are $35+bf and you can snap them up over here.
Photograph: Corky’s Club/Joseph Mayers
Briefs: Dirty Laundry
I have seen the Briefs brigade with my own eyes at previous festivals, and this gaggle of talented men and their bedazzled friends always leave me feeling elated. So I was delighted when I found out that they were bringing their new show Dirty Laundry to Mardi Gras – and in a Spiegeltent no less, the perfect hazy atmosphere for some immersive cabaret-meets-circus-burlesque-and-drag action. Find out more over here.
Shows until March 15 – at Sydney Spiegeltent in The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. Tickets range from $40-$110 and you can snap them up over here.
Sock Drawer Heroes & Friends Laneway Market
This free, all-ages alcohol-free event is a great space to get together with the community and support local LGBTQIA+ makers, creators and artists. There will be stalls run by queer, trans and gender diverse makers, creators and artists – the majority of whom are unable to afford to take part in larger events, and some stall holders who were impacted by the cancellation of Fair Day, like Harlem Starlet – purveyors of fabulous statement jewellery, clack fans and accessories that allow you to express your identity (or your allyship) with pride. The Sock Drawer Heroes shop will also be open, where you can browse and get advice on gender affirming gear, and loads more.
Saturday, February 24, 10am-4pm – at Petersham Street Plaza, Petersham (next to Sock Drawer Heroes - 480 Parramatta Road, Petersham). Find out more at sockdrawerheroes.com and @sockdrawerheroes on Instagram.
The opening of Qtopia Sydney Museum
It’s been a long and winding yellow brick road to get here, but Australia’s first ever LGBTQIA+ history museum is finally opening its doors to the public on Saturday, February 24. Expanding over 1,750 square metres, Qtopia Sydney is the largest centre for queer history and culture in the world. Qtopia encompasses four buildings in the heart of Sydney’s “gaybourhood” – and there are a whopping 17 exhibitions to explore that delve into rich histories from Sydney’s past and beyond. Better yet, Clover Moore just passed a motion that granted a year’s worth of free entry on Sundays.
Qtopia Sydney opens on Saturday, February 24. The museum will be open from Wednesday-Sunday, 10.30am-4.30pm. General admission is $15, $10 concessions and children under 18, and free for everyone on Sundays. Find out more over here.
Photograph: Sock Drawer Heroes/Lexy Potts | Stall by Harlem Starlet
Check out more fabulous Sydney Mardi Gras events over here.
