Sydney WorldPride 2023
Our truly global LGBTQIA+ pride festival.
In 2023, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Sydney WorldPride united to present a truly global LGBTQIA+SB pride festival. As the very first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere it was 17 days of celebration, visibility and sunshine – over a million festival attendees congregated in our beautiful city to experience the best in LGBTQIA+SB creativity, and to stand together in a powerful call for equality.
The theme for the festival, GATHER, DREAM, AMPLIFY, was developed in partnership with our extraordinary First Nations and LGBTQIA+SB communities. It acknowledged and celebrated the traditional custodians of Australia and represented our commitment to equality and inclusion.
Festival theme
The Festival theme – GATHER, DREAM, AMPLIFY – guided the creation of a Festival that reflected the rainbow strength and creativity of our communities.
In the language of the Gadigal people this theme translates as – Mana (Gather) Nangamai (Dream) Djuralli (Amplify) – honoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices who have lived and loved on this land for over 60,000 years.
Sydney WorldPride’s logo and Festival artwork was directed by Wombaya Warumungu designer and artist Jessica Johnson for Nungala Creative.
Over 400 events of pure queer joy
The seventeen-day extravaganza saw a raft of Sydney WorldPride signature events, a curated suite of WorldPride Arts and WorldPride Sports as well as Pride Amplified (the Festival’s open-access program) join the much-loved Sydney Mardi Gras signature events – Parade, Party, Fair Day and more.
The once-in-a-lifetime WorldPride signature events included three 20,000+ events in The Domain – Live & Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert, Domain Dance Party and Ultra Violet – as well as the largest LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Conference in the Southern Hemisphere all wrapped up with a 50,000 person march across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
First Nations excellence
As the oldest continuing culture in the world today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+SB communities voices were integral to the success of Sydney WorldPride.
From Marri Madung Butbut: First Nations Gathering Space which featured six days of free and ticketed events, to MobTix – the First Nations ticket accessibility program, Blak and Deadly: First Nations Gala Concert and more.
The Festival was an international display of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, joy and pride.
Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference
As the centerpiece of Festival, the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference saw 227 presenters from 43 countries take over 3,000 people on a journey toward equality for all.
During the event, Australian Federal and State governments showed their commitment to LGBTQIA+ communities.
The legacy of Sydney WorldPride
Sydney WorldPride encouraged attendees to envision a better future for all while using the platform to strengthen advocacy for marginalised communities.
In the Festival Report below, learn more about the legacy of Sydney WorldPride for Intepride, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sydney city, First Nations communities, the Human Rights Conference and the broader LGBTQIA+ community.
Sydney WorldPride Festival Report
Sydney WorldPride was more than a Festival – it was a milestone in the 45-year movement that is Sydney Mardi Gras, a conversation starter, a reminder of our wins and the fight ahead, and now – a memory of a time when Sydney was re-opened to the world for a global family reunion, and a legacy that will live on for decades to come. Read the Sydney WorldPride Festival Report below, or download a plain text version here.