Mardi Gras Festival
Celebrate Mardi Gras with Qtopia Sydney! Explore a vibrant hub of LGBTQIA+ history, art and pride. Experience dazzling performances and stories that inspire, connect and ignite change.
What’s On at Qtopia Sydney for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025?
Six New Exhibitions: Immerse yourself in the stories, art and history that define the LGBTQIA+ experience. From the global impact of Kylie Minogue on Queer culture to intimate explorations of identity and resilience, our exhibitions promise to educate, inspire and ignite meaningful conversations.
Nightly Performances: Every night of the Sydney Mardi Gras festival, Qtopia Sydney comes alive with dazzling shows. From laugh-out-loud comedy and captivating drag productions to powerful storytelling and groundbreaking new works, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and remember.
Corporate Programs: Engage your team in an unforgettable Sydney Mardi Gras experience with programs tailored to celebrate inclusion and diversity. Whether it’s an insightful journey through LGBTQIA+ and Sydney history, or a meaningful team-building activity, Qtopia Sydney offers unique opportunities for your workplace to learn and grow together.
New Exhibits
Performances
Sydney Mardi Gras is the perfect time to get your whole team involved!
Whether you’re looking for a fun time out to celebrate, an opportunity for members of your team to learn more about LGBTQIA+ and Sydney History or for everyone to participate in a meaningful team building program together this Mardi Gras, Qtopia Sydney has the perfect program for you!
A Night at the Theatre
Step into the world of storytelling as history and creativity come alive on stage. Begin with a tour of the exhibitions, where your team will uncover stories of transformation and progress. Then, enjoy a performance in the Loading Dock Theatre, featuring inspiring talent and narratives that highlight the power of diversity and authenticity. A perfect blend of culture, entertainment, and connection.
A Fun (maybe slightly competitive) Trivia Night
How much do you know about the history that has shaped inclusivity today? The Q Quiz invites groups to embrace their competitive spirit, starting with a guided tour of the exhibitions to learn about moments of resilience and transformation. Then, challenge your team with trivia and activities—from dance-offs to quick quizzes—all designed to inspire teamwork and connection. A fun-filled experience that will leave your group informed and energised.
A Team Visit
Invite your corporate group to explore the rich tapestry of human diversity and resilience during a daytime visit to Qtopia Sydney. Discover stories of strength, progress, and the shared history of a community that has shaped the cultural landscape for over 65,000 years. Celebrate the achievements of trailblazers whose courage inspires us all. A wonderful opportunity to experience the exhibition and foster connection with your colleagues in a setting that values inclusivity and progress.
Exciting Puzzles
Encourage collaboration and problem-solving within your team as you navigate Qtopia Sydney’s exhibitions through a series of interactive puzzles. Each challenge reveals hidden stories and insights into the rich history of inclusivity and progress. Conclude the experience with a shared meal in the gallery space, celebrating your team’s strengths and connection. A unique evening that blends education, teamwork, and indulgence.
A Creative Q&A
Looking for a creative and collaborative team activity? Engage your group with a hands-on art experience that draws inspiration from the vibrant culture of Oxford Street and beyond. Paint portraits, map personal histories through art, or sketch local heroes as they share stories of their journeys. This colourful and interactive session fosters creativity, reflection, and team connection in a unique and celebratory way.
A Walking Tour
Promote team confidence, communication, and connection while exploring the cultural and historical richness of Darlinghurst and Qtopia Sydney. Begin with a walking tour that reveals the layers of history and resilience in the area, followed by an exhibition exploration that deepens your understanding of the past and its relevance today. This program combines local history, cultural education, and personal growth to inspire your team.
Learn about all of our Corporate Programs
A short history of Sydney Mardi Gras
What started out from Taylor Square late in the evening of 24 June 1978 [International Gay Solidarity Day]
as a ‘fiesta’, a parade down Oxford Street, ended in a riot, with police violence against the participants on full display, captured by TV news cameras.
So it became a symbolic event, a showcase for the Queer community that had to be repeated, to show that ‘we are here, and aren’t going away’.
Over time, as the parade was shifted to the warmer end of summer, its numbers swelled, and the marchers took satirical aim at many of society’s sacred cows, the Mardi Gras coming to have a special place in Sydney’s cultural life. It didn’t hurt that it also became a major tourist attraction, drawing thousands of overseas visitors and boosting the state’s economy to the tune of many millions of dollars.
Over the years, several new entrants to the parade have been welcomed as symbolic of the changed perceptions of homosexuals in our society – this group included the NSW Police Service, marching for the first time in 1998.
But over time, it lost its political bite; one development that helped diminish the ‘in-your-face’ character of the parade was when it was decided to go with a live TV transmission, and there was pressure to remove ‘offensive’ material [although, of course, what is offensive usually lies in the eyes of the beholder]. Now the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is just a mighty spectacle, a pageant of dressed-up Queers and their supporters and hangers-on, perambulating up Oxford Street past Taylor Square and out to the old Showgrounds, a cultural event open to all and sundry – even politicians rush to march with us now.
But perhaps the current form of the parade reflects another aspect of Queer life in Sydney – that the city’s Queer communities are no longer seen as the dreaded and feared ‘other’. And while this may be so, it might also mean that, with such acceptance, the ‘gay sensibility’ – the ‘outsiders’ ability to have a detached look at a complacent society – has gone.
Words Garry Wotherspoon (Director – History)
Images William Yang
