We have brilliant news that we just cannot keep to ourselves! It’s time to get excited because the staff and volunteers at Rainbow Families are thrilled to announce that we will be proudly marching along Oxford Street in the Mardi Gras Parade during Sydney World Pride 2023. Thanks to the hard work of our team, our application for three floats was successful and we will be joining the Australian LGBTQ+ community on the global stage as we gather our fabulous volunteers and members, displaying to the whole world that love makes a family.
On Saturday February 25th 2023, Rainbow Families will be joining over 200 other floats of 12,500 marchers in the biggest event of the Sydney World Pride festival. Not only will this be an important part of World Pride, it will be especially wonderful for Australia as we see the parade return home to Oxford Street following two years at the SCG. While the COVID-19 years were a spectacular display of our resilience as a community, we think you’ll all agree that the street parade remains the ultimate celebration of our pride.
Mardi Gras celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2023, so the atmosphere will be electric and this will be the unmissable event of the year. What started out as a protest in 1978 is now a world renowned celebration of pride, and in February we will truly get to showcase why. The history of Mardi Gras is fascinating and humbling, and you can read all about it on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras website.
Rainbow Families first joined the Mardi Gras parade in 2016, over a year before marriage equality was achieved in Australia. We proudly stood up and proved that love makes a family, no matter what, bravely marching alongside many families who were ready to see change and representing countless more. It has been an honour to see our presence grow, with our biggest ever year seeing 240 marchers across our three floats of Rainbow Families, Rainbow Families Regional and Playgroups, and Gay Dads. Our families are beautiful and diverse, and we cannot wait to give them their moment to shine this summer.
This year’s theme is Gather, Dream, Amplify and Rainbow Families is certainly going to bring this to life and deliver a wonderful representation of our magnificent community. We’d love to see you alongside us, cheering us on from the streets in the Family Viewing Area, or celebrating us on social media as you watch from home. Your support means the world to us as we prepare for this momentous occasion. If you’d like to get involved, you can find all the information on our Mardi Gras Parade page.
It’s time to get your sparkle on, unicorns!
