Top Ten Must See Events at This Year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

1. THE MARDI GRAS DISCO CLIMB

Talk about getting high on life. If God is a DJ then this rainbow themed dancefloor atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge is surely heaven. Can you think of a better way to herald in Mardi Gras season than combining disco with bridge climb? Thought not.

The climb has limited departures and is only available during Mardi Gras. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Disco Climb. Mardi Gras 2014. Source: Supplied

2. THE 36TH ANNUAL SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS PARADE

Sydney is home to the loudest, proudest, largest and most-loved celebrations of the LGBTQI community on Earth. Join hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the route along Oxford and Flinders streets on Saturday, March 1. Plant a smile on your face and simply enjoy the wild ride.

Rain, hail or shine, revellers gather along the route. Source: News Limited

3. FAIR DAY

If Parade is the party then Fair Day is the fete of Mardi Gras season. Get along to Victoria Park on City Rd, Chippendale on Sunday, February 9 for this all-day family-friendly picnic celebration. Enjoy roving drag performers, gourmet food, loads of market stalls and the Doggywood tent for pampered pooches.

Performers Mrs Vera, Dob Downe and Mr Tina pictured at Mardi Gras Fair Day. Source: News Limited

4. JOHN WATERS LIVE AND IN PERSON

American filmmaker John Waters, he of the pencil-thin moustache, appears for one night only at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, March 9. The cult figure, who appears on Sunday, March 9, is responsible for Hollywood gems Hairspray and Cry-Baby and is notoriously candid about the downside of fame.

Filmmaker, playwright, comedian and man for all seasons John Waters appears for one night only at the Sydney Opera House. Source: Supplied

5. PAM ANN presents PLANE FILTHY

Pam Ann is the anything-goes air hostess alter-ego of Australian comedian Caroline Reid. Get set for some seriously funny observations on air travel through the golden age. Not to be missed. Reid performs over two nights, February 27 and 28, at the State Theatre. Punters will also be presented with a complimentary glass of sparkly and a Pam Ann compact and fridge magnet. All class!

Pam Ann A plane sitting on the tarmac at an airport. Very high resolution 3D render. Source:Supplied

6. KINGS & QUEENS of CABARET

Enjoy a stellar Mardi Gras cabaret season at the Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst all this month. Among the headliners will be Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, who will debut his own show. The multi-talented Mitcham is joined by queen of country Beccy Cole and a host of other performers. Check out the full program at mardigras.org.au

To get you warmed up for the main event, here's a little gold medal entree from Mr Mitcham

MATTHEW MITCHAM GOLD MEDAL DIVE

7. COURTNEY ACT in BOYS LIKE ME

Following sold-out seasons in New York and Los Angeles, Australia's own Courtney Act performs hit cabaret show Boys Like Me for one night only, February 25, at the Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay. Act is a bona fide homegrown superstar at the top of her game. Boys Like Me tackles masculinity, femininity and dirty laundry.

COURTNEY ACT IN BOYS LIKE ME

8. HARBOUR PARTY

Summer sun, an iconic harbour and big dance beats combine to make the Mardi Gras Harbour Party a hot ticket item this season. Gather at the Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquarie's Point on Saturday, February 22 from 3pm. Bring your dancing shoes. Already confirmed acts include British DJ Joey Negro and Paul Goodyear from the US.

Joey Negro plays the Harbour Party on February 22. Source: Supplied

9. RAINBOW RUN

Fitness freaks unite and show your support for equal love by taking part in the Rainbow Run. Held Saturday, February 8 in Sydney Park, St Peters participants should be at the start line of the 6km course by 10am. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Equal Love initiatives in Australia. A DJ set broadcasted throughout the circuit has been designed to keep participants motived.

Show your support for marriage equality by taking part in the Rainbow Run. Source: News Limited

10. THE VAUDEVILLIANS featuring JINKX MONSOON

Those well abreast of the reality television hit RuPaul's Drag Race will already be familiar with irrepressible narcoleptic drag queen Jinkx Monsoon. The Season 5 champion makes her Australian debut with co-star Major Scales at the Vanguard, Newtown from February 18 until March 2.

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Sydney's Mardi Gras Parade Goes Alcohol Free

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade will be alcohol free from next year.

A Sydney City Council committee meeting last night approved the ban on alcohol along the entire parade route.

The decision followed a request from the Mardi Gras committee.

Council spokeswoman Susie Matthews says the ban will increase the enjoyment of the parade for many people.

"Really we're keen, as is Mardi Gras and the police, to promote the parade as a family friendly, safe accessible event for everyone," she said.

"Certainly in the past we've had some incidents of violence and antisocial behaviour that have been really closely linked with excessive drinking."

Mardi Gras? Life Ball!

While Sydney gears up for the newly degayified Sydney Mardi Gras, the biggest tourism revenue generator on its annual calendar of events, there are plans in the making for another big party on the other side of the world. In Vienna—famous for genteel waltzes and passionate opera, less so for its avant-garde art and contemporary culture—a committee has already been at work for months preparing for Europe's biggest and most glamorous charity event, Life Ball, this year taking place on Saturday 19 May.

While the Sydney Mardi Gras of 2012 has eliminated any remaining social significance it had as a spotlight on gay and lesbian issues in favour of mainstreaming itself for the masses, Life Ball takes a different approach, keeping true to itself without sacrificing its principal reason for existence, i.e., serving as a fundraising event that helps provide millions of dollars in funding for myriad international organisations working in the fight against HIV and AIDS, perhaps now flying under the radar in Western countries with advanced medicines available but still a threat to the health and livelihoods of millions throughout the world who don't...and not every so-called advanced country has advanced policies with regard to HIV and AIDS. Thirty years after its first diagnosis, AIDS is still, unfortunately, a subject shyly discussed in public. Not at Life Ball.

There is nothing mainstream about Life Ball; on the contrary, Vienna's night of nights is an extraordinary experience not to be missed, a special event that lights up the Viennese social scene. That guests are having the time of their lives in the company of the famous celebrities invited each year as the voice of amfAR—Janet Jackson, Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone, Eva Longoria, Ivana Trump, and perennial presenter Bill Clinton, to name a few—is merely the means to an end.

Life Ball takes partying to a higher level by raising both funds and the profile of a variety of charitable organisations. In typically Austrian fashion, Life Ball is very transparent about its activities and funding; visit the Life Ball page on international projects it has assisted to have an idea about the extent and effect one party in one city can have all over the world.

The main event at Life Ball is the fashion parade featuring the work of one designer each year; past luminaries selected have been Thierry Mugler, Jean-Paul Gautier, Gianfranco Ferrè, and Patricia Field. Vienna is a city where dressing well is part of life, so it comes as no surprise that Life Ball, the ultimate costume ball, sees some astonishing efforts in the wardrobe department. From elaborate to outlandish, sometimes both, the sartorial creations at Life Ball are masterpieces of creativity and imagination that complement the grand venue, Vienna's enormous City Hall, where the entire building is taken over for the event, with salons, ballrooms, and corridors alike themselves costumed in their best attire for the night's festivities.

Travellers interested in attending Life Ball—and agents interested in knowing more about it—have the services of deluxe gay tour operator Hautes Vacances at their disposal. Hautes Vacances organises every detail for travellers, from the air travel to accommodation to the costumes for the Ball. With both Life Ball and Hautes Vacances enjoying a loyal following, the company has much experience in arranging the details and leaving the fun to its clients.

Check out its Life Ball page and well as Life Ball's own website at lifeball.org and increase your understanding of how well a party can be an instrumental experience for a higher cause.

‘We’re not going straight’ - Mardi Gras Sydney

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) has moved to quash conjecture it is “going straight” after it changed the name of the parade and festival to the Sydney Mardi Gras.

“The objects and policies in the organisation’s constitution have not and will not change and SGLMG remains committed to producing LGBTQI events and advancing LGBTQI interests,” Mardi Gras CEO Michael Rolik told the Star Observer.

“It seems the fear is that the name change signifies a content change as well. It does not. Participation in all our events — including Parade and Fair Day — remains subject to the same criteria and these remain unchanged.”

Rolik acknowledged that some people felt there had been a lack of consultation over the name change, but said it had come out of a survey of members and non-members conducted earlier this year.

“An overwhelming majority said we should call the organisation Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, rather than keep it as New Mardi Gras,” he said.

“A substantial number also suggested other names — the lead being ‘Sydney Mardi Gras’, with comments stating that it was a more inclusive and internationally recognised name, and that everyone knows it’s a queer festival.”

Feedback from SGLMG’s Youth, Women and Community Engagement committees also informed the move, as had a unanimous vote at the company’s AGM this year to include intersex people in the organisation’s constitution — meaning there were now four groups left unrecognised in the name.

Rolik said it was unfortunate that confusion over the name change had overshadowed it’s first season 2012 announcements.

Parade producer Victor Petroff and artistic director Ignatius Jones will return in 2012, while SGLMG will double funding for the production of in-house floats. Community floats will receive additional cash from the Big Gay Weekend funds.

Attendees have also been told to expect an extra-special 30th Mardi Gras Party.

“We’re promising a party like never before in the Entertainment Quarter, transforming it into a theme park — Mardigrasland,” Rolik said.

“You can expect not just a huge RHI production number from Ru Paul but also a bonus intimate show in our little Retroland and there will also be sublime and ridiculous cabaret from the amazing Dame Edna
Experience coming over from London.”

UK electronic act Chicane will close the Hordern Pavilion with a two-hour live set.

SGLMG will also resurrect the Laneway recovery party in 2012.

Yardhouse is Sydney's New Hotspot

Yardhouse Bar and Brasserie opened last week in Haymarket and should be a hit with Sydney’s urban business crowd and theatre-goers attending the neighbouring Capitol Theatre.

Formerly Paddy McGuire’s pub, a major refurbishment undertaken by the Metro Hospitality Group has created a stylish and contemporary venue while still paying homage to the heritage of the area — particularly the former Palace Hotel which once occupied part of the site.

Metro Hospitality Group chief operating officer George Bedwani said the Yardhouse’s name was inspired by the popular beer-drinking vessel of the 1800s, the yard glass. The front bar off George St has been renamed the Palace Bar and will continue to appeal to the traditional patrons of the area who enjoy a drink after work.

“Yardhouse Bar and Brasserie is an exciting new venue in Sydney’s entertainment precinct,” Bedwani said.

“We wanted to ensure the venue retained links to its important heritage while also expanding its offering to appeal to a broader clientele.”

Chef Daniel Collins, previously head chef at the Russell Hotel, has created a menu that includes light meals to tempt pre-theatre patrons as well as hearty fare for its business clientele.

While the pre-theatre menu includes dishes like spiced calamari with Szechuan pepper salt, chilli, coriander and citrus aioli or beef and James Squire Porter pot pie, the full menu has a selection of four steaks (including a 300g Wagyu rump), four types of skewers with different international heritages, and six mains including slow-braised pork belly, Queensland spanner crab linguine and crisp skin salmon with tomato, white bean and fennel.

At the Palace Bar, choose from more than 60 craft beers, while an all-day bar menu is available.

A downstairs area in the venue has been created specifically for live music. Reggae bands will be featured on Monday evenings while rock bands are expected to prove a popular option for patrons on Friday and Saturday evenings.

All areas can be hired for private functions, providing an opportunity for corporate event managers to combine an evening at the theatre with pre-theatre dinner and drinks in a designated area, or a post-show nightcap.

Food is served in the bar from 11am until late every day while the brasserie is open for lunch from noon-3pm, Monday to Friday, and for dinner from 6pm. On weekends, the brasserie menu is available all day until late.

INFO: www.yardhouse.com.au or (02) 9212 2111 for Reservations and Enquiries

REPOSTED FROM: The Star Observer (http://www.starobserver.com.au/life-style/food-life-style/2011/10/11/sydneys-new-yardhouse-is-a-palace/63657)

Clover announces Oxford Street Drag Makeover

City of Sydney will revitalise the West end of Oxford Street by opening spaces to creative industries and new businesses.

Last Monday’s Council meeting confirmed the long discussed project, which includes leasing Council land to artists, retailers and cafes; fostering more street-side plants and conducting day-time waste clean-ups.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said fostering a diverse mix of tenants would attract more people to live, shop and eat around Oxford Street and ultimately boost the local economy.

“We agree with business owners and the local community that it could be better, and to make the most of Oxford Street, we need to think creatively and work together.”

By strategically using our vacant properties on the south end of Oxford Street, we can kick-start a creative rebirth of the area.”

Council will begin taking expressions of interest next month and aims to have creative tenants in by Christmas.

Greens Councillor Irene Doutney praised the project for finally answering loud calls from the lower Oxford Street community.

“This is fantastic. It has been long sought for . . . I just hope the base of the community is happy for this to go ahead.”

Sue Ritchie, Vice President of 2010 Darlinghurst Surry Hills Business Partnership, said the news was evidence of the start of a working relationship between Council and the community.

“It’s been a long time coming, nevertheless it’s great news.”

Ms Ritchie said although she was thrilled with the news, she thought the project could be expanded to the rest of Oxford street.

“We are looking for council to be more responsive to the community from Park to Park. That is from Hyde Park to Centennial Park,” she said.

“Oxford Street is the spine that has driven creative industry around . . . It has been neglected and it has seen many cuts . . . Rather than let it deteriorate, while the focus is on the other areas like Barangaroo, we want to keep Oxford Street strong.”

Ms Moore responded by stating the City has delivered a $45 million package, which featured more than 50 individual projects to improve the shopping strip and over $236,000 for community groups running local creative projects.

Taken from Alternative Media Group

Author:Nicholas Jordan Posted:Thursday, 25 August 2011

KYLIE

IT'S BEEN MORE THAN TWO DECADES SINCE KYLIE MINOGUE LEFT RAMSAY STREET TO TACKLE THE POP-MUSIC INDUSTRY. SINCE THEN, SHE HAS CRAFTED A CAREER IMPRESSIVE BOTH FOR ITS LONGEVITY AND RANGE. A VERY PUBLIC BATTHE WITH CANCER HAS PROVED HER PLUCK.

Clem Bastow - The Big Issue's Music Editor

It’s difficult to pinpoint precisely why people and critics hate Kylie Minogue. Maybe it was because the critics and mass population of Australia were trying to impress some knob-end rock snob who proudly boasted that they hadn’t listened to commercial radio for 15 years. Maybe it was just because they wanted to be contrary.

For a number of years the mass population of Australia and critics would roll their eyes at the mere mention of Australia’s ‘Singing Budgie’. The thing about the anti-Kylie brigade: membership to that club requires a subscription to the tiresome old mentality that pop-music is inherently empty-headed. These comments are all well and good, except that this stance requires a person to forget that many of the artists we now consider legends (Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra) rarely, if ever, wrote their own songs.

As the juggernaut that is her $25 million dollar Aphrodite Les Folies Tour prepares to roll into Australia and additional tour dates are being released it shows that Kylie should no longer be seen as the ‘Singing Budgie’ but as the ambassador for all Australians.

As Kylie once sung: We all have our cross to bear, But in the name of understanding now, Our problems should be shared. Kylie will be performing around Australia from the 3rd June 2011 to 22nd June 2011 in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

Excerpts taken from Clem Bastow's article from The Big Issue

http://www.bigissue.org.au

Click Here to purchase Kylie Tickets!

Mardi Grouse - Last Saturday was Sydney's 34th Gay and Lesbian mardi Gras parade

Last Saturday was Sydney's 34th Gay and Lesbian mardi Gras parade, and my 17th - although I hasten to add I'm usually a spectator, or a helper-outer, and only rarely have I been in the actual thing.

This year, I was part of a group called Dr Mark's marching Academy. Our schtick was a tribute to the TV show Glee, complete with pompoms. Dr Mark prides himself on having a totse fierce* parade entry each year; with great lights and the best sound system. And so, in the waiting-around hours before this year's event, Dr Mark cranked up his superior speakers to the delight of all.

The result? Instant disco. And dancing in the street.

The boogie continued for more than an hour, and a brief downpour did nothing to dampen enthusiasm of the particpants. As the rain came down, our cheers went up. Bring it on, we seemed to be saying. Nothings going to stop us.

Actually, that's not quite true. For a few parade participants, drunkeness and drug use threatened to stop their parade before they even left Hyde Park. This was more than a shame; it was a disgrace.

But those idiots were very few in number. I hope the rest of us put on a suitably fabulous show, and reminded our spectators - straight, gay and everything in-between - that being gay is OK, joy is infectious and Sydney really is the greatest city on the planet.

* Young-person-speak for "very good".

(Source: Opinion - Wentworth Courier; Our Say by David Mills, Editor Wentworth Courier, March 2011)