RU PAUL’S DRAG RACE DOWN UNDER
It’s official mothertuckers! RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is back for season 2, dropping weekly episodes on STAN, starting July 30th. Ten Antipodean Queens from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and NZ will be sashaying in front of judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson, all of them vying for the Drag Race Crown. As per last season, some local Oxford St favourites are included. Look out for Hannah Conda and Minnie Cooper. Definitely recommend catching this one on the big screen at a local viewing party near you.
Suggest Universal, Ginger’s or Stonewall for some Drag Race Down Under hijinks!
MARDI GRAS PARADE BACK ON OXFORD ST
The annual Mardi Gras Parade is set to return to Oxford St in February 2023, for the first time in three years. It sits in the middle of the Sydney World Pride calendar, a 17-day celebration of Australian LGBTQIA+ fabulousness, with over 300 events across the city, from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to Bondi Beach and all stops in between. This includes Darlinghurst where there will be a series of street closures for the annual Parade and the new Pride Villages.
As the biggest event of the Sydney WorldPride festival, all eyes will be on the 12,000 marchers as 200 floats adorn Oxford Street for the first time since 2020. You can expect all your Parade favourites, from the famous rumble of the Dykes on Bikes to the quintessentially Australian Lifesavers With Pride, and the many wonders of our LGBTQIA+ communities.
Pride Villages – for 10 days from 24 February, sections of Crown Street and Riley Street will be closed and become home to stalls, dining and performances. On the final weekend of Sydney WorldPride, a section of Oxford Street itself will be closed to create a giant street party, all the way from College Street to Flinders Street.. Lots more announcements to come, so stay tuned!
More than 500,000 people are expected to participate in Sydney WorldPride, making it the biggest event to hit town since the 2000 Olympics. Other events include :
Live & Proud – Sydney WorldPride’s Opening Concert, presented by American Express – we’re getting the party started with this opening concert, hosted by Courtney Act and Casey Donovan.
Bondi Beach Party, presented by Optus – for one day only, the sandy jewel of Sydney will become the city’s hottest club for 12,000 people.
Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference – the largest LGBTQIA+ human rights conference ever held in Asia-Pacific region.
Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert – experience a rainbow explosion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ artistry, across a two-hour concert hosted by Steven ‘Faboriginal’ Oliver at the Sydney Opera House.
First Nations Gathering Space – held at Carriageworks and running across six nights, featuring exhibits, theatre, dining and drag.
Rainbow Republic, presented by Optus – six hours of live music, DJs and performances await you at The Domain, for a queer megamix of international and local acts.
Ultra Violet – an inclusive LGBTQIA+ women’s party at Sydney’s Town Hall where Drag Kings, burlesque stars and cabaret performers take to the stage.
Domain Dance Party – dance with 10,000 of your mates at the biggest LGBQTIA+ outdoor dance party Australia has ever seen.
Pride March – 50,000 people will join this historic Pride march across one of the world’s most-recognisable landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
DAILY JOCKS
Calling themselves “the ultimate underwear and swimwear authority” the team at Daily Jocks know their stuff and really do have something for everyone, bringing together a global community of underwear fanatics.
Underwear, swimwear, sportswear, festishwear - all categories covered. The team is also champions of unity in the community and celebrates that diversity and inclusivity across every facet of the brand, from campaigns, to sizing, to the in-store experience.
163 Oxford St, Darlinghurst
SYDNEY WORLD PRIDE
Sydney World Pride is on its way! Coming to Sydney in February 2023,
Sydney will be hosting WorldPride in 2023 and its going to be a big deal! The theme for the festival, GATHER DREAM AMPLIFY.
“We want people to gather here, on the lands of the oldest surviving culture on the planet, to listen deeply. We want people to dream of the future they want and collectively work together to make those dreams a reality. We want to ensure that new voices and perspectives are amplified….” says Ben Graetz, Festival Creative Director, First Nations.
So far plans have been made for landmark events like the Opening and Closing Ceremonies (currently slated to take place in The Domain with 25,000+ attendees), First Nations Gala Concert, a world class Human Rights Conference, and the festival closing party at Bondi Beach (10,000+ partygoers). All with local and international headline artists.
There will also be a Pride March across the Sydney Harbour Bridge with over 50,000 participants – the largest pride march to ever be held in Australia.
Sydney WorldPride spans 17 Feb – 5 Mar 2023, during the usual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras season. Mardi Gras Festival events will be held within the overall Sydney WorldPride program, including Fair Day, Parade, Party, Laneway and more. More announcements are being made regularly so make sure you check www.sydneyworldpride.com/events.
UNIVERSAL
There’s fun to be had every night of the week along Oxford St, home to Sydney’s LGBTQI community and the famous Mardi Gras Parade. And a lot of that a action is happening at UNIVERSAL whether downstairs in the bar area or upstairs in the club. During the Covid-times, when we couldn’t dance, Universal did the ‘pivot’ and turned the upstairs club into an “immersive dining experience” which proved so popular they kept it going. Every Friday and Saturday you can get dinner and a show - a 3 course menu and bottomless cocktails, if you choose - plus some of Sydney’s most popular drag queens and entertainers all for $89/$149.
PREMIERE at UNIVERSAL
Downstairs in the bar area there’s also non-stop entertainment every. night with drag shows, trivia nights, hospo mondays, fireball fridays, slay for pay, sunday shenanigans and gamers nights. The bar food is good, all cocktails are $18 and the kitchen is open till midnight!
85-91 Oxford St, Darlinghurst