Kylie Minogue's Tension tour goes head to head with Mardi Gras

Kylie Minogue’s Tension tour will be rocking the Qudos Bank Arena instead of fronting Sydney’s Mardi Gras this year
But Mardi Gras organisers are introducing special themed bus services to get people to the Mardi Gras Party after the concert on Saturday, March 1.
The star will perform three shows at Qudos Bank Arena.

Australia’s reigning Queen of Pop is going head-to-head with the Sydney Mardi Gras, setting some – but not many! – with a peculiar contest for attention.

Her shows are already a sell-out. And Mardi Gras organisers have set up a special bus service from the Qudos Bank Arena, knowing that many of their fans will be among Kylie’s audience.

In what is seen as something of a surprise move, Kylie Minogue isn’t headlining the big Mardi Gras Party on Saturday, March 1. Instead, Australia’s forever reigning Queen of Pop will be performing a set of headline shows on her new Tension tour.

Sadly for Mardi Gras fans, the Sydney stops clash with the biggest night of the Sydney Mardi Gras.

Despite the separation, the Sydney Mardi Gras and Kylie will always skip to the same beat, and organisers have found a way to make it more convenient for anyone who wants to both see the concert and attend the massive Mardi Gras Party on the same night.

The solution is simply a themed bus. Specifically, the Padam Patrol Party Bus has been introduced to run from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park straight to the Mardi Gras Party at Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park with fast-pass express entry into the event so passengers don’t miss out on all the action.

The bus is a $19 add-on if you’ve already got tickets to attend the Mardi Gras Party. It’ll leave from just in front of Qudos Bank Arena as soon as the concert finishes and is only designed to get you to the party, not into the party. If you don’t have a ticket to Hordern Pavilion for Saturday, March 1 then you’ll still need to buy one in advance.

This is Kylie’s biggest tour since 2011 so its perfectly understandable that Mardi Gras attendees won’t want to miss the first Sydney show on March 1.

When the tour was first announced in September 2024, Kylie had this to say: “I am beyond excited to announce the Tension Tour 2025 [and] can’t wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more.”

All signs point to a greatest hits set list, with Kylie Minogue performing a long list of timeless classics including “Come Into My World” and “Better the Devil You Know,” as well as new hits like “Padam Padam” and “Tension.”

Are tickets still available for Kylie’s Sydney shows?

If you’re wondering how to get tickets to see Kylie Minogue in Sydney then you’ll be disappointed to know that all three of her Sydney shows at now sold out. But don’t fret, you can still get some Kylie resale tickets on unofficial channels like Tixel. At the time of publishing, tickets on Tixel are available from $100.

Officially, there are still a handful of accessible-only tickets available for all three Kylie shows. And there are less than ten seats available for the March 3 show at Qudos Bank Arena.