What: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: March 7
When this event began in 1978 the local cops took great delight in violently arresting the participants.
That openly-gay police now don their uniforms to march in the parade shows just how much Sydney has embraced gay pride.
The parade is now one of the biggest and most famous in the world, attracting thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Costumes range from elaborate and totally over-the-top numbers to the tiniest of pink hot pants, and there are floats and performances galore.
But it’s not just about glitz, glamour and highly sculpted bods. The parade also has a reputation for satire and sass (such as ruthlessly taking the piss out of anti-gay activists), and for being a celebration of diversity and tolerance.
If you’ve still got some energy after the parade, you can head to the infamous Sleaze Ball after-party, along with 20,000 or so others.
