subject: 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Miss Out The Mardi Gras Parade In Sydney [print this page] One of the first things that every backpacker in Sydney is most interested in, is the best place to get a beer after a hard day of sightseeing! We've complied a list of the top 10 pubs, bars, wineries, hotels, and general alcohol-based venues to check out if you're travelling to Sydney.
It's a heap of fun!
At the Mardi Gras, everything is about fun! The politics of being straight versus being gay will occasionally surface. Yet mostly, Sydney's LGBT community is just showing the world how they do what they do best - party! There are flashing lights, colourful costumes, screams of laughter, and people generally celebrating being alive - better than any nightclub in the city.
It can be an effective history lesson
It can be so easy to be swept up in the 'present tense', and forget the struggles that homosexual people have faced in the past .. and continue to face in many parts of the world, including Australia. The theme for 2010 was The History of the World, with an obvious focus on gay history. But no matter what year you attend, you're bound to learn a lot about what life was (and is) like for LGBTs in the everyday community.
Because some very big name music acts often play
In recent years, there have been quite a few big name acts booked for the Mardi Gras Post Parade Party. Up to 27,000 people attend every year, and in the last 20 years, there have been acts booked including:
Kylie and Dannii Minogue
Human Nature
Boy George
Darren Hayes
Kelly Rowland
Cyndi Lauper
Marcia Hines
Chaka Khan
The Village People!
The fireworks show
The parade itself is the showstopper, and the glittery, sparkly, celebratory atmosphere is completed with the fireworks display. Fireworks are usually launched from the tops of adjacent buildings, so rather than a distant, contained effect, you often get the impression that the entire sky is filled with tiny sparkles, since you can only see a narrow slice through the buildings.
An opportunity for straight people to show support of human rights
The Mardi Gras is all about being gay, but that definitely doesnt preclude straight people from attending to show support of the LGBT community, and human rights in general. The more the merrier .. the community is very welcoming, especially in their biggest week of the year.
If you happen to be in Sydney around the time of Mardi Gras, you are a lucky sydney backpacker and it would be an enormous pity to miss out of the festivities! The event will soon rival the Opera House for worldwide recognition (well, hopefully!), and is just a great time all round.
