This was followed by shouts of To the Cross! Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade airs Live 7:30pm Saturday on SBS. Click here to listen to an interview on the Pride in Protest podcast where Mardi Gras board member Charlie chats to Ken Davis, a life-long left-wing activist who helped organise the first Mardi Gras in 1978. First Mardi Gras Inc. is a not for profit community organisation for 78ers. The Mardi Gras parade will be held at the SCG this year instead of Oxford Street due to COVID-19. Festivities will take place at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday March 6 from about 6pm AEDT. First Mardi Gras was formed in April 2017 to initially support participation by and engagement with a broad range of 78ers in the lead up to the 40th Anniversary of Mardi Gras in 2018. Rainbow pride at 15,000 feet in Australia’s ‘Mardi Gras for skydivers’ Jordan Hirst 1 February 2021. In a first, this year’s event will be held safely at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was clear that the Police were not going to let a street party happen. It includes a variety of events such as the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and Party, Bondi Beach Drag Races, Harbour Party, the academic discussion panel Queer Thinking, Mardi Gras Film Festival, as well as Fair D… The first Mardi Gras held on June 24, 1978 was planned as an addition to the morning demonstration to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969. Some people wore fun outfits – capes, floor length ruffled dresses, bizarre hats and lots of make-up. Once we got there we started to disperse, but Police had blocked off both ends of Darlinghurst Road and started arresting people and throwing them violently into waiting paddy wagons. At 10pm that night, people began to assemble at Taylor Square. Mardi Gras and Facebook Australia today reveal 30 venues across Australia that have been awarded cash grants to host Mardi Gras Parade viewing events. Since the anniversary, First Mardi Gras has focused on staging events of interest to 78ers as well as the broader community. 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 11 Images Tonight is the night when Sydney sparkles - all the colour and creativity of the iconic 2020 LGBTQI+ Sydney Mardi Gras … The parade moved down Oxford Street, but at Hyde Park police blocked their path and confiscated a truck and loudspeaker. In all, there were 53 arrests and some brutal bashings, particularly in the cells at Darlinghurst Police Station. The response from the crowd was electric – we charged over to William Street and up to Kings Cross. Over the next few months, a further 125 people were arrested at “Drop the Charges” marches and rallies. This was very successful by our standards, with around 500 people participating. Indigenous people and sex workers became involved in the fight. At the time, the lesbian and gay community in San Francisco were fighting the Briggs Initiative, which was a push to remove anyone who supported lesbian and gay rights from the school system. This was the first Australian gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade. But New Orleans residents have found a creative solution: turn their houses themselves into floats. First Mardi Gras was formed in April 2017 to initially support participation by and engagement with a broad range of 78ers in the lead up to the 40th Anniversary of Mardi Gras in 2018. Spirits were high. Raise awareness of the 78ers' role as the foundation generation of Mardi Gras, Educate the broader community on the 40 years of LGBTIQ history that followed the first Mardi Gras, Inspire younger LGBTIQ Australians to take collective action about the things they care about, Showcase the progress on LGBTIQ rights made in NSW and across Australia in a way that can be replicated across our global community, Increase understanding of human rights issues currently affecting LGBTIQ communities within Australia and internationally, As an ageing community, advocate for appropriate support and services. It was mass defiance and it was exhilarating. The official Mardis Gras parade kicked off on Saturday evening. By the time we got to College Street, we had hundreds of hyped-up people. First Mardi Gras Inc. is a not for profit community organisation for 78ers. NSW Police will take the organisers of a Mardi Gras protest march to the Supreme Court in a bid to stop this weekend's gathering. This was devastating for those arrested – with many losing their jobs, being kicked out of home or having their rental tenancy terminated. But then the Police confiscated the truck. Mardi Gras has received approval to proceed with the Mardi Gras Parade under a COVID Safe Event Plan. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a three-week festival featuring more than 100 events that culminate in the world-famous Mardi Gras parade on the first Saturday of March. The bashing and arrests bound us all together. First Mardi Gras Inc, PO Box 1029, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia. “It’s gonna look so different this year,” Courtney told news.com.au. Our organisation aims to ensure representation of 78ers through democratic processes including election of the Management Committee by members. A fringe jacket is a 70s staple as much as its a Mardi Gras party staple - look no further than this Nasty Gal pearl inspired style, $142. LAST YEAR: Bathurst's first organised Mardi Gras event comes to Keystone 1889 "The headspace event at Keystone last weekend was a huge success, as was last year's Mardi Gras event, so … Courtney Act, Joel Creasey, Narelda Jacobs and Zoë Coombs Marr will return to host SBS Live broadcast of the 2021 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on March 6. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past and present. At the time, the lesbian and gay community in San Francisco were fighting the Briggs Initiative, which was a push to remove anyone who supported lesbian and gay rights from the school system. We had a flat-bed truck with a sound system playing Meg Christian’s Ode to a Gym Teacher and Tom Robinson’s Glad to be Gay. It was the most systematic Police bashing and the highest number of arrests that we had seen. Many others attended in support of our fight against oppression and discrimination. The lesbian and gay community in San Francisco reached out to communities around the world, including in Sydney. The stage was set for the Mardi Gras parade to continue as an annual event. On the following Monday 26th June, the Sydney Morning Herald published the names, addresses and occupations of those arrested. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) is one of the oldest continuously operating LGBTQI+ organisations in Australia. The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sydney Mardi Gras, or Mardi Gras, is an annual LGBT pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. In June 1978 the 9th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the newly-formed Gay Solidarity Group organised a daytime march and an evening parade in Sydney. Some committed suicide. The first Mardi Gras held on June 24, 1978 was planned as an addition to the morning demonstration to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. First Mardi Gras Inc, PO Box 1029, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia. Lesbians and gay men came out of the bars to watch and a few even joined us - responding to our 'Out of the bars and into the streets' chant. On 24 June 1978 a small group of gay and lesbian people operating as the Gay Solidarity Group staged a day of events in Sydney. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/final-preparations-complete-for-syd… News Today || Headlines Today The coronavirus pandemic provided an unexpected boon to Nick Perrett and his friends' plans for their Mardi Gras As fate would have it in 2020 it was the last major event in Sydney before the country was thrown into lockdown for the first time. When is Sydney Mardi Gras 2021? Some people also wanted a night time celebration. SGLMG was built on the foundations laid by early community activists who fought for LGBTQI+ rights in a time of wide-spread, institutionalised oppression and discrimination.