Happy Mardi Gras in Sydney!

Mardi Gras is a BIG deal in Sydney. From mid-February to mid-March, there are Mardi Gras-themed things happening all around. It’s mostly geared as a festival for the LGTQI community, but almost all the activities are geared toward families & the general public, so it’s a lot of fun!

This year we went to see the famous Mardi Gras parade. The past few years it has rained on parade day, so I got complacent and skipped it. But this year, some friends from work invited us to their apartment with a view of the parade route. So even if it poured, we were going to have a ton of fun. Luckily, the weather was perfect parade weather: clear, sunny, and a bit of breeze. 

The parade leaves a little bit outside the CBD and down Oxford St. We had a lovely view of Oxford Street from the apartment, but there was also plenty to see on our way! The streets around the parade route shut down before the parade starts, so lots of people were walking in.

People of all persuasions take the opportunity to dress up & look festive!

This was a dress made of comic book fabric

A very Sydney thing to do is to take milk crates down to the street and stake out a spot on the route. It's a holdover from when the parade was much smaller and people would just sit on milk crates and watch the much smaller parade on a much smaller street. These days, you can buy fancy seating in VIP areas - or you can still just bring your own.  This family was one step up from milk crates...

While we weren’t quite close enough to fully enjoy all the glamour of the day, we got a great view of the parade! 

All the apartment buildings down the street were decked out. 

Our vantage point was great for watching all the floats & parade entries. Interestingly, they don't throw beads like the Mardi Gras we are used to. It's almost more of a show than a parade. There was lots of music and dance routines...

Except for the military - no routines for them!

It was very fun, and I’m glad we got to see this famous celebration. =)