Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras was all about passion!

I arrived in Sydney holding the assumption that Sydney would not have as many cultural activities as Melbourne.  I'm on a mission to prove that assumption wrong, so I'm trying to do as many cultural activities as I can in the next month.  I began with the Mardi Gras.

These guys were very popular as the crowds gathered

Since I'm still finding my way around Sydney, I was a little unsure how to get to Oxford Street, but I soon discovered that all I had to was follow the crowds of gay couples and teenagers.  It seemed to me that the Mardi Gras was an outing for teenagers (many complete with braces) to show their open mindedness and their individuality.  For many teenage girls, 'individuality' came in the form of a slutty police outfit and over the top make up.  You can only imagine their disappointment when they arrived at Oxford Street to find that 1000s of other teenage girls had the same idea.  Perhaps next year, they will be more creative and go for a nurses uniform.

People jostled for a good spot to view the parade

My favourite float - the lifesavers.  Mmmm, nice bodies!

Arriving on Oxford Street, I was unprepared for the huge crowds, and was unable to reach my friends who had arrived super early.  So,  I hung out by myself before a group of gay Englishmen felt sorry for me and took me under their wing.  We hung out for the whole night, sharing seats and taking photos for one another.  Seats, stools, milk crates, rubbish bins ..... these were in high demand for good viewing.  As I walked up Oxford Street, I came across groups of entrepreneurial backpackers selling plastic stools for $10.  'Who would pay $10 for a cheap plastic stool?' was my initial thought, but after searching for a good viewing spot (and being told by security to climb down off a rubbish bin), I sheepishly went back, parted with my $10 and climbed up on my hot pink stool to enjoy the parade.  I figured that it was cheaper than seeing a movie.

Taronga Zoo float

 A gay parade would not be complete without some YMCA!

The parade itself went for about 2.5 hours (a bloody long time to stand on a plastic stool in a crowd!) and I was completely entertained the whole time.  The range of floats was very diverse.  My favourites by far were the life savers and water polo players (hello, hot bodies!), the choreographed dance routines and those pumping out iconic gay tunes such as 'YMCA', 'I will survive' and anything by Kylie.  Although I consider myself to be quite an open minded person, there were several floats that I felt a little uneasy about, namely the full on leather and bondage float.  Each to their own, I guess!

Camp-Berra - The Queens Capital .... your thoughts Dad?

Mardi Gras colours

The spirit of the Mardi Gras was fantastic, the crowd was as diverse as the floats and everyone was out to have a good time.  Interestingly enough (insert sarcasm), it was the straight people who seemed to cause the most trouble in the crowd and with the usual drunken behaviour to be seen all around, it was a messy place to be at the end of the parade. 

This rental truck looked like it may have toppled over, these guys were loving a dance!

Gay Camping NSW - Camp as a row of tents

Something that didn't make sense to me on the night was that on my way home, I was approached by two different men wanting my number.  What is it about gay events that makes straight men try to pick up?  I declined both, one was a little odd and the other was lovely but only came up to about my shoulder.  

Even the Sydney sightseeing buses were in the parade

The parade was multicultural - the Scottish float .... I love a Scotch Finger!

So, the first cultural event on my list was a success - Melbourne has Moomba, Sydney has Mardi Gras - I know which one I'd prefer to go to!  Next on my list is the French film festival.