Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese joins Sydney’s Mardi Gras as parade returns to packed streets
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the first sitting prime minister to take part in the LGBT event
- More than 12,000 marchers and 200 floats joined the parade, Sydney’s first Mardi Gras since the coronavirus outbreak
Thousands of scantily clad revellers danced through Sydney on Saturday for the annual Mardi Gras parade, which returned to the city’s streets for the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19.
More than 12,000 marchers – many of them painted in glitter make-up – and 200 floats rolled down a packed Oxford Street, lighting up the vibrant heart of Sydney’s LGBT scene.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took part in the parade, alongside drag queens in stilettos, surf lifesavers in “budgie smuggler” swimwear and muscular men in latex.
“This is a celebration of modern Australia. We’re a diverse, inclusive Australia and that’s a good thing,” said Albanese, the first sitting prime minister to take part in the Mardi Gras.
“People want to see that their government is inclusive and represents everyone no matter who they love, no matter what their identity, no matter where they live,” he told a reporter.
Mardi Gras is a highlight of the city’s social calendar but has been disrupted due to Covid-19 in recent years – with organisers canning the street parade in favour of a seated event at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Jamar Mills, 32, said the energy this year was “palpable”.