The City of Sydney is getting ready to welcome as many as half a million visitors as the city gears up for Sydney WorldPride 2023.
The City has provided more than $1.75 million in funding to make sure the largest global celebration of pride and diversity is a great success.
The seventeen-day festival will see the return of Mardi Gras Parade to Oxford Street, the creation of Pride Villages in Surry Hills and a Coming Back Out Ball at the Sydney Town Hall, along with hundreds of other events and a sea of rainbow murals, banners and flags.
“With just ten days to go, we’re ready to welcome the world to Sydney for WorldPride 2023!” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
“More than 300 events, from the opening concert to the Pride March, to art installations, a human rights conference and sporting matches, will feature across the city from 17 February to 5 March.”
“As one of the most LGBTIQA+ inclusive communities not just in Australia but around the world, Sydney is the perfect home for a festival celebrating the rainbow community, and I know we’re all excited to get the party started.”
As the first elected representative to march in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Lord Mayor said the timing of the event was a poignant reminder of progress made and ongoing fights for equality.
“WorldPride coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the fifth anniversary of Australia saying yes to same-sex marriage,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This is the first time the event will be held in the southern hemisphere, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to show off our vibrant and inclusive city and invite people from all over the world to develop a deep sense of belonging here.
“We want everyone coming to feel confident in themselves and connected to their neighbours, to celebrate, build relationships and discuss the ongoing fight for equality, especially in the promotion of trans rights.
“The event is also expected to inject millions of dollars into the NSW economy and in particular, breathe new life into the Oxford Street precinct.
“The festival’s scale and appeal will not only celebrate our LGBTIQA+ communities, but it will be a boost to the City’s cultural life and economy,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We’ve supported Sydney WorldPride since 2019 when we helped fund the team’s initial bid to host the event. Given the event footprint extends across multiple locations throughout the city, this is the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on Sydney’s unique local neighbourhoods and global city centre.”
Events taking over the City include a flag raising ceremony, pop-up Pride Villages, the activation of the iconic Oxford Street, a preview of Qtopia Museum exhibits, Liberate! exhibition of the works of photographer C. Moore Hardy, Positive Musings panel reflecting on HIV in Australia, and of course the Mardi Gras Parade.
Sydney WorldPride 2023 runs from 17 February to 5 March 2023.
Image: Lesbian lemons – C. Moore Hardy (Liberate! exhibition)
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