Sydney Mardi Gras 2023: Anthony Albanese first PM to march and what you need to know

Anthony Albanese will become the first Prime Minister to march at Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday night.

The annual parade is expected to welcome up to 300,000 people this year after three years of Covid-hit events, with the march kicking off at 7:30 p.m.

The parade had been held at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the past two years.

Anthony Albanese will join NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns and other senior Labor figures for the march down Oxford Street, while NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet will not attend due to a “pre-existing commitment”.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton will also not be present.

This year’s theme is Gather, Dream, Amplify with 208 floats taking part in the parade, led by First Nations, 78ers and Dykes on Bikes.

This year’s parade has added significance as the centerpiece of the Sydney WorldPride festival, the first WorldPride to be held in the southern hemisphere.

An estimated 12,500 people will be parading through the streets, with changes to transport schedules and multiple road closures to accommodate the parade, here’s all you need to know.

When does it start?

The main parade will take place from 6:00pm to 11:00pm starting on Oxford Street and then meandering down Flinders Street and ending at Anzac Parade.

Up to 300,000 people are expected to venture into the city to see the show.

What roads will be closed for the Mardi Gras parade?

Road closures in Sydney’s CBD will begin at 2pm, as sections of College Street, Wentworth Avenue and surrounding streets will be closed.

Starting at 3:00 pm, sections of Bourke Street, Campbell Street and a host of surrounding streets will also close as crowds of people gather in anticipation of the parade.

As of 4:30pm, Liverpool Street between Elizabeth Street and College Street, Oxford Street between College Street and Darlinghurst Road, and parts of Crown and South Dowling streets will be blocked.

Any motorist traveling between the city and Sydney’s eastern suburbs will need to detour onto William Street and Darlinghurst Road in the north, and Cleveland Street in the south.

How will Mardi Gras affect transportation?

The museum station will be the only train station in the city completely closed from 5 p.m.

Spectators wishing to view the parade from the Darlinghurst side of Oxford St are advised by Transport for NSW to alight at Town Hall, St James, Martin Place or Kings Cross stations.

Those wishing to look from the Surry Hills side should walk from Central Station to Oxford Street.

Weekend work will also take place for buses to replace trains between Blacktown and Richmond, Bankstown and Sydenham and between Cronulla and Sutherland.

From 10am to 4pm between Campbelltown and Moss Vale, train replacement buses will replace the regular train schedule.

The Sydney Tube line will run until the early hours of Sunday morning with the final service leaving Chatswood at 2:37am

Bus routes will also be affected by the parade.

routes between the city, inner west, and eastern suburbs will detour around the parade route or end early in Central.

This will occur from 4:00 pm on Saturday until 2:00 am on Sunday.

Additional bus and train services will be available after the conclusion of the parade.

The trains will run on the T1 North Shore Line and City Circle Line until 02:00.

Every other line will have a train every 10 to 15 minutes until 1 am.

There will also be a shuttle between Bondi Junction and Central Station every 15 minutes until 3am.

A temporary taxi rank will also be set up on Wentworth Avenue from 1am to 5am with other ranks located on Pitt Street, Bathurst Street and Goulburn Street to operate as usual.