Sydney will shine in all the colors of the rainbow for the next 17 days: On Friday, the Australian metropolis gave the starting signal for WorldPride 2023, the most important major event of the year for the global LGBTQIA community. The colorful festival takes place for the first time in its history in a city in the southern hemisphere. More than 300 events are planned, including concerts, films, exhibitions, drag shows and parades celebrating diversity and acceptance.

LGBTQIA is the abbreviation for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex, queer and asexual community, which expressly also includes other sexual minorities. WorldPride is now being celebrated for the eighth time: the global event, which is awarded to a different host city every two to three years, was held in Rome for the first time in 2000. Sydney is considered one of the trendiest and most tolerant cities in the world and is famous for its gay scene.

Revival for Mardi Gras parade after pandemic

One of the highlights is a big concert on February 24th in the central park area The Domain, to which, among others, the Australian pop queen Kylie Minogue and ESC participant Jessica Mauboy have announced. One day later, the heart of WorldPride is the Mardi Gras parade, which will take place on the famous Oxford Street for the first time since the corona pandemic. For seven hours, more than 10,000 participants in glamorous outfits and 200 cars, some of them flashy, will make their way down the promenade.

The conclusion on March 5th is the "Pride March" over the world-famous Harbor Bridge, in the immediate vicinity of the iconic Opera House. "50,000 people in their brightest colors will march across the iconic landmark in a strong international statement," the organizers said. The message is: "We are here, we are united - and we are relentless in our call for equality for all LGBTQIA people not just in Australia but around the world."