Go to the Mardi Gras

I doubt when Professor Longhair penned this fantastic song that the twist Sydney has made on the celebrations were in his mind.  Regardless it is a worthy moniker that is as festive as the event down in Bayou Country.  Although there were no Zulu Kings to be seen there were plenty of Zulu Queens in attendance.  

As indicated the parade route was merely a short jaunt down the street from my hotel.  The parade is a night affair, which was set to begin at 7:45p. I was advised to get there early to ensure an ideal vantage point.  This was wise advice as crowds lined the street starting from 5p despite the cool temperatures, overcast skies and intermittent rainfall that held steady for the remainder of the evening.  

There were various street venders selling plastic stools and milk crates for $5 so I picked one up that proved invaluable.  I was able to get myself a good location about 4 rows of people from the fence line.  I was beside a crew of friends that were a funny bunch.  They even forewarned me about the moving in of the fence as the parade start time neared, which prevented me from going ass over teeth. 

 I had camera in tow as well as vodka and mix, plus a mini umbrella. Ha! I arrived about 1.5hrs before the parade began that lasted just over 2hrs. The most difficult test of will was keeping the sensation of needing to urinate inside.  Man alive!  I knew with people stacked about 20 deep behind me there was no possibility of returning to my spot.  I managed to set a new record for myself and lasted the duration of the parade. 

I think the evening environment added to the ambiance of the affair.  This gave people plenty of time to front load and get prepared.  It was an extremely joyous setting.  Many people donned costumes from the usual cowboys and bikers to girls in bunny outfits and Caribana-esque costumes.  Exciting.

The crowd was a mixed bag of folk, young to old, men to women, LGBT to straight and families too.  There were also a lot international revellers as I heard multiple languages being spoken.  It was a little less righteous than what Pride has become back home.  I was also surprised that the event was a lot less tame with avant garde floats and/or nudity, but there was still enough to go around and it was all tasteful.  The theme of the event shared the title of this song

The after party for the festive occasion was an all-night dance and concert at the Cricket Grounds.  I made my over to see if there were tickets available, but the entry was $160!  Original prices were $125.  I just couldn’t justify forking over this amount of cash for an outdoor club despite the 8am finishing time. I opted to return back to Oxford Street and join in with various spontaneous dancing in the street as clubs and bars had long queues.  

I grooved the night away until about 2am and had a blast.  I was happy that I was able to take in this fête, regardless of the cost I incurred to do so.  No regrets.  None.

Here are a few videos and a picture to give you a sense of the action.  I have more to share upon my return.

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