Mon 9 Mar 2009 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
New South Wales police have praised Sydney's 300,000-strong crowd who witnessed the biggest Mardi Gras Parade ever. Sydney Mardi Gras marchers ready to fly There were 28 arrests on Saturday night during the parade, but Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn told the Sydney Star Observer that "most people came along to have a good time, and the large crowd in Oxford Street certainly did." Almost 10,000 people marched in the Parade, led by gay Olympic gold winning diver Matthew Mitcham, who appeared after dozens of ‘dykes on bikes' sped down the street. Popular floats included a tribute to slain US gay politician Harvey Milk, the surf lifesavers and the wedding floats supporting Civil Partnerships. Outrageous US comedienne Joan Rivers also waved at the crowd from a large float. This year's parade was titled 'Nations United' and was divided loosely into continents with their own theme – Australia was "young and free", Africa aimed to "bring people together to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic", Asia's entry spoke of "visibility where the LGBT is sometimes hidden", North America honoured Harvey Milk and “the power of the ballot box to bring about change", Europe's float was a reaction to Pope Benedict's homophobia and the idea that "religion has gone a bit out of control in the eyes of our community", South America celebrated love and weddings as most of that continent supports same-sex unions, and finally Antarctica "gives us pause for reflection on the future, both in this world and the afterlife." As always, the parade ended with Sydney's huge Mardi Gras Party, with an estimated 17,000 people enjoying seven extravagant venues of dancing and shows in Moore Park. Featuring DJs Paul Oakenfold among many other touring and local DJs, the party concluded with a live performance from Natalie Bassingthwaighte, former lead singer of the Rogue Traders band. This year's Mardi Gras Parade was broadcast live on Australia's Foxtel network. Highlights from the broadcast can be viewed below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 9th March 2009 - 12:08pm