Today Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of Australia’s most famous and well-loved events, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Sydney to join in the celebrations. But it all began with a riot. On a chilly winter’s night in 1978, the police descended on a street festival gathering in solidarity with the Stonewall protests in New York.

We’ve made fabulous history together, with so many of Australia’s brightest creative minds playing their part. Discover four decades of Mardi Gras love, protest, diversity, acceptance, activism, pride, family, passion, creativity, drama and satire, now revealed online as an interactive Timeline on the Google Arts & Culture platform.

You’ll find 40 years of stories told with photos and videos, with heroic moments creating Australia’s unique life-affirming kaleidoscope of LGBTQI self-expression.

You can now visit the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ 40th Anniversary Timeline on Google Arts & Culture here:

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 1978-2018 Timeline

Written and complied by Matt Akersten

Bibliography:
A History of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by Graham Carbery
New Day Dawning: The Early Years of Sydney’s Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras by the Pride History Group
Sydney Mardi Gras 2013 Museum Brochure by Nick Henderson and Lewis Oswald
+ Various Season Guides and Annual Reports.

With thanks to:
Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, Pride History Group, Star Observer, William Yang, Kathy Pavlich, C.Moore Hardy, Markham Lane, Steph Sands, Jane Becker, Virginia Lovett, Katherine Wolfgramme, Nick Henderson, Mazz Image, Jamie James, Lewis Oswald, Susan Charlton, Bruce Pollack, Gillian Minervini, Philippa Playford, Michael Woodhouse, Ann-Marie Calilhanna, Mark Trevorrow, Ian Waters, Liz Carter, Tim Bishop, Rob Davis, Jeff Allan, Joel De Sá, Terese Casu and Greg Clarke.

Google Arts & Culture is an innovation partner for cultural institutions. The team provides technologies that help preserve and share culture and allow curators to create engaging exhibitions online and offline, in museums. The Google Arts & Culture app is free and available on the web, on iOS and Android, allowing users to explore exhibitions from over a thousand museums.