Mardi Gras Parade Day in Sydney: The Ultimate Itinerary

Ready to have your best Mardi Gras parade day yet?

You’ve got your Mardi Gras costumes sorted, scoped out the best viewing spots and have the parade route committed to memory. But it pays to think bigger for Saturday, March 1. You want this to be a full-day affair, starting with brunch, testing your stamina with various day parties, taking you through the parade and then going hard to the Mardi Gras Party.

To help you organise it all, Sydney Travel Guide has put together the ultimate Mardi Gras parade day itinerary so you know where you’ve got to be and when. Time waits for no one on the most fabulous day of the year.

Your Mardi Gras Parade Day Game Plan 2025

A table setup at Arms Length in Sydney — *Start the day with Arms Length’s bottomless Mardi Gras brunch (photo supplied).*

12 PM: Start your Parade day with a bottomless brunch

The only brunch you should be having today is of the bottomless variety. If you’ve been throwing yourself at all the Sydney Mardi Gras events for this year then you’ve already had your fair share of mimosa-fuelled day sessions. One more won’t hurt.

Begin your Mardi Gras parade day at Arms Length in Potts Point. The former Dean’s Diner will be throwing up a fabulous bottomless brunch session from 12pm, turning its converted terrace into a lively scene powered by bottomless beers, tap wines and, if you pay a bit extra, cocktails.

The $110pp menu takes care your of your day drinking while also serving up more subversive brunch dishes like pork chops with yuzu mustard greens and tuna tartare with mandarin ponzu.

Where:7 Kellett St, Potts Point NSW 2011
When: Saturday, March 1 from 12pm
Price: $110pp ($25 cocktail add-on)

A woman with balloons — *Impy Gras will turn The Erko into a massive pre-parade party (photo supplied).*

2 PM: Keep the good times rolling at one of four Mardi Gras day parties

Pick your poison: CBD, Surry Hills, Erskineville or Marrickville.

Stumble your way out of the Potts Point bubble and head on over to either of these parties, or take the braver approach and Rydo your way between all of them for the ultimate pre-parade session.

Let’s assume you’ve got the stamina to tackle more than one of these parties. In that case, you’ll want to start at Vic on the Park in Marrickville for Gays’ Gone Fishin’. The subversive fishing-themed party will have you hooked as it fills the fun-loving pub with performances from the likes of DJ Hot Dog, Jason De Cox and The Queer Baits.

Gays, games and good times will be threaded through the multi-faceted pub’s various indoor and outdoor spaces.

Alternatively you can start in the Sydney CBD at The Rook’s Mardi Gras Big Gay Brunch. The beloved rooftop bar is perfect if you’re still inexplicably hungry after your brunch session. For $79pp, the bar is putting up a six-course menu complemented by a mimosa bar and a two-hour drink package from 2pm to 4pm.

The Winery isn’t usually pumping on parade day but the quirky Surry Hills bar will be going all night this year. From 3pm to 1am, the venue is hosting its own Mardi Gras festival before, during and after the parade to give you a lower key alternative to the massive Mardi Gras Party at Hodern Pavilion.

There will be free entry from 5pm (and $10 thereafter) with a dynamic roster of DJs keeping the dancefloor going well past midnight.

The Parade starts at 6:30pm so you should be well and truly ready to get your spot on Oxford Street or Flinders Road. But if you’ve got one last party left in you, we recommend heading along to queer institution The Erskineville for Impy Gras: Queerdo Paradiso.

The venue, a safe space for the inner west’s massive queer community since the 80s, will host a night of world class drag, burlesque and live music from the Main Bar to the Basement. Fork out extra for VIP tickets and you’ll get access to a private area with an open bar, loads of pizza and a prime viewing spot of the Sydney Mardi Gras Gay & Lesbian Parade.

6 PM: Make sure your set for the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here. Every Mardi Gras party, brunch and show leads straight one of the most famous Mardi Gras parades in the world, trailing along the start of Oxford Street and curving onto Flinders Street and Anzac Parade before ending in Moore Park.

Find the best Mardi Gras viewing spot or grab a ticket to one of the private parties along the route. Get those cameras ready because the parade kicks off at 6:30pm, featuring colourful floats designed after this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras theme: “Free to Be.”

A huge party for Mardi Gras — *Make sure you’ve got some energy left for the massive Mardi Gras Party (photo: Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras).*

11 PM: All roads lead to Hordern Pavilion

Slay your way over to the Hordern Pavilion for the most epic part of the year. Each year, one of Sydney’s most formidable concert halls turns into a full-blown rave for the world-renowned Mardi Gras after party. The action even spills out of the area to the nearby Liberty Hall, turning the Entertainment Quarter into a chaotic party headlined by Honey Dijon and The XX’s Romy.

You can also expect live performances from DJ Paulette, Alex Taylor, HAYLA, Leland, DJ Fat Tony, Cosmo’s Midnight and the cast of the Mardi Gras Community Show. We know you’ve already packed a lot into the day, but it’s always worth saving some energy for this one.

Where: 1 Driver Ave, Moore Park NSW 2021
When: Saturday, March 1 from 10pm
Price: From $189

How to recover on the Sunday

A drag queen with yum cha — *Mardi Cha will help you soak up the sins of Mardi Gras parade day (photo supplied).*

You’ve got two options come Sunday. If you’re making the most of it, you’ll get home from the Mardi Gras Party just before sunrise so clock some much needed rest. You and your crew have a big decision ahead of you: dumplings or… more partying.

If dim sum is your calling, head on over to Marrickville in the afternoon for Mardi Cha at the Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre. The venue’s kitschy Chinese restaurant, Lucky Prawn, is putting on a special drag-queen hosted yum cha sessions from 11am and 4pm. Let those spring rolls soak up last night’s sins while DJs keep things nice and relaxed with lo-fi tunes from 4pm to late.

Where: 8/12 Sydney St, Marrickville NSW 2204
When: Sunday, March 2, 2025
Price: Usual pricing

If more partying is on the cards than help kiss Mardi Grass goodbye for another year with the official closing party. Laneway is always a massive success for the festival’s program, taking over The Beresford and Hill Street to a high-energy celebrate of house, disco and pop. VIP upgrades are also available with access to the exclusive top level of Merivale’s signature pub with DJs all night and private bathrooms.

Where: 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
When: Sunday, March 2
Price: $109

mardigras.com.au