The 43rd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade will take a very different format in 2021. The event will still go ahead on Saturday 6 March, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
However, organizers have moved it from the usual route of Oxford Street to Sydney Cricket Ground. Mardi Gras floats and 5,000 marchers will circle the stadium while an audience of 23,000 watches from the stands.
It’s a major departure for one of the world’s most famous and colorful Prides. And it’s a first – this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras took place shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, forcing other Prides to cancel.
Organizers say the changes will ‘ensure the safety of parade participants, spectators and the community’. But they admit it will be