The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the largest LGBT* celebrations in the world. The parade has an estimated 20,000 participants, and hundreds of thousands of people attend.

The theme for this year's Mardi Gras parade was "History of the World," described as "a sexy and bawdy rollercoaster ride through the ages."

Like the Pride festival in Toronto, Mardi Gras is not only a parade, but a collection of numerous parties and events that make up the entirety of the festival.

This year, Mardi Gras started on February 19th and finished on March 6th. The two-week celebration featured some of the biggest names in the world, including performances by Whitney Houston, George Michael, Kelly Rowland, Adam Lambert, and Amanda Lepore.

One of more interesting events was the creation of the large-scale artwork by Spencer Tunick, called "The Base." Tunick is well known for taking photographs of nude figures in public spaces. This piece, commissioned by the Mardi Gras, featured 5,200 people in front of the Sydney Opera House. Click HERE for the article on CBC.ca.

A favourite event during Pride is the Fair Day, where 70,000 show up to bask in the sun, meet new friends, and watch live performances. Due to the popularity of the event, Fair Day has become the official launch of Mardi Gras. Other interesting aspects include a Bear Tree and a dog show - Doggywood.

Mardi Gras, like all other major Pride celebrations around the world, attracts a global crowd. Sydney is a great place to travel to in February/March because it is winter in the Northern hemisphere. As such, there are many attendees from Europe and North America.

Mardi Gras was a major success again this year and there is still evident support for the event, including that from the greater community.

For more information, visit: http://www.mardigras.org.au/.

Words by Peter Walker, Media Committee Journalist

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer.