The beloved Australian celebration of pride and diversity, Sydney's Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras, will return and take place in early 2021.
To ensure the safety of parade participants, spectators and the community, the 2021 Parade will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) with a capacity of 23,000 audience members watching on as community groups unite in a show of pride and passion.
The Parade will be broadcast live on SBS.
"Mardi Gras has always been the epitome of creative expression through art and culture; two things severely impacted by COVID-19 this year," Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger says. "So it was important to Mardi Gras that we rise to the occasion and to give the community the creative platform to express their pride to the world."
"The 2021 Parade may look different to how it has been in the past, but we feel very lucky to be able to give this opportunity to our communities during these times.
"Not only is the SCG close to our spiritual home of Oxford Street, but it also provides the safest venue for us to hold the event and meet requirements of physical distancing and contact tracing.
"With a greater focus on community, our 2021 Parade will move away from large floats, centring instead on the outlandish pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props that make it such a phenomenon to witness."
Image © Jeffrey Feng
Mardi Gras executed a community consultation process to better understand the LGBTQIA+'s vision for Mardi Gras. The outcome has created Always On, an initiative that will see Mardi Gras developing year-round initiatives to provide a platform for the community.
"Always On will see us commission and support the development of queer performance and content, support more events beyond Oxford Street, extend our voice to highlight social injustice and support major campaigns, and support community and grassroots organisations year round,” Albert says. "These are just some of the initiatives that make up the foundation of our Always On vision."
Meanwhile, the theme for 2021's event is 'Rise', a poignant message during the challenges 2020 has brought us all.
Mardi Gras is also working with NSW Health on a number of COVID-safe plans to stage events such as Fair Day in 2021.
Tickets for the 2021 Mardi Gras Parade go on sale 9 November.
The 2021 Mardi Gras Parade will take place on 6 March at Sydney Cricket Ground.
This story originally appeared on our sister site, FROOTY.
