We’re 100 days away from WorldPride kicking off in Sydney and the festival’s full program has landed in our hot little hands. Hyperpop girlies rejoice because Charli XCX is coming back to town to help kick off the first WorldPride event in the Southern Hemisphere.
Charli has been added to the festival’s official Opening Ceremony alongside Jess Mauboy and Aussie pop royalty Kylie Minogue. This impeccable lineup will be absolutely heating up The Domain on February 24 and I fear the outdoor venue will be reduced to smouldering rubble after this star-studded show.
The simply huge opening party will be hosted by Courtney Act and Casey Donovan and broadcast live on the ABC for all of us who haven’t been lucky enough to lock in tickets.
Even more international excellence is headed Down Under for the mega Mardi Gras with Kelly Rowland to headline the Domain Dance Party on Sunday February 26. A fourth (!!!) release of tickets for that seven-hour hoon is on sale through the Moshtix website if you wanna spend a balmy summer evening working up a sweat to the Destiny’s Child icon.
More than 300 events will be held over the 17 days of WorldPride with tickets to the massive Bondi Beach Party and beloved Mardi Gras events like the annual Sissy Ball, Laugh Out Proud and the Ivy’s Paradiso Pool Party also going on sale.
It also marks both the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Mardi Gras and the return of the parade to its spiritual home for the first time since 2020. That alone is enough to get all tizzed up and party into the wee hours of the morning.
Sydney WorldPride CEO Kate Wickett said the huge festival is a significant moment for both the local and wider Australian LGBTQIA+ community.
“The Sydney WorldPride Festival Guide represents 144 pages of fabulous LGBQTIA+ creativity,” she said.
“The festival includes an extraordinary array of free and ticketed experiences, from concerts to parties, theatre, sports and family events, so no matter your interests or budget, you are invited to Sydney WorldPride.”
You can check out the massive Sydney WorldPride program right now and honestly, just block out your social calendar between February 17 and March 5.
