The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is hosted in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
It is an annual LGBTQIA+ festival and pride parade that developed from a gay-rights protest held in Sydney on 24 June 1978. Police broke up that first nighttime march and arrested 53 participants, an event that helped turn the gathering into a major symbol of Australia’s gay-rights movement.
The festival is named after Mardi Gras but is not held on Shrove Tuesday. Its main parade is generally staged in Sydney during the late-summer festival season, traditionally along Oxford Street and nearby routes. The event combines celebration, political messages, performances and community participation.
The city name is part of the event’s identity, so Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne are not correct alternatives. Melbourne has its own major LGBTQIA+ events, but it does not host the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.