Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Official Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras t-shirt, 1983

Official Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras t-shirt, 1983

Selection of official Mardi Gras t-shirts from Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, 1983–1991
MLMSS 5977 / Box 30

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras traces its origins back to 1978. In that year, the newly formed Gay Solidarity Group organised a street parade with costumes and music, to commemorate the anniversary of the New York Stonewall riots in 1969. The first parade took place late in the evening of June 28th 1978. Less than an hour into the parade, riot police moved in to disperse the crowd, resulting in violent conflict between the marchers and police. More than 50 people were arrested.
From these inauspicious beginnings, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has become one of the most important economic events in Sydney. Its flamboyant costumes and floats, and ever-increasing side events attract thousands of tourists from around the world.

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival is being celebrated from 7 February to 2 March 2014.


In 1982, the first Mardi Gras workshop was held to plan and prepare the floats and costumes for the parade. Artist Peter Tully oversaw the workshop which was held in a warehouse space near Oxford Street.


This year’s Mardi Gras Parade will be held on Saturday 1 March 2014


The Sydney Gay Mardi Gras was renamed the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in December 1988.


Highlights of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras were first telecast in primetime by ABC-TV in 1994. The coverage produced the ABC’s best-ever Sunday night ratings.


The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is known for its outrageous costumes and sharp political satire.


Peter Tully’s aesthetic combined African and Asian tribal designs, with New York street art and kitsch, and his style became synonymous with Mardi Gras through the first half of the 1980s.