Gay Mardi Gras

I knew, even before I got here, that I wanted to see the Mardi Gras Parade- after all it is one of Sydney's largest events. But it wasn't until I started reading about Mardi Gras in Time Out Magazine, that I got really excited. See there are several parties and events surrounding the actual parade and here are just a few of their names: Underwhere? Party, Tranni Panic, Tounge Twister, Bear Essentials, Bingay (Bingo Party). Ha!

Unfortunately I didn't make it to any of these pre/post events, but I did go to the parade yesterday. I went with a friend I met during orientation, her name is Inga. She lives kind of far so we decided to meet at Kings Cross train station and walk to the parade. It should be known that Kings Cross is the "Red Light District" of Sydney. And while I was waiting for Inga I couldn't help but notice the names of the stores that surrounded me, names like The Pleasure Chest and Porky's Night Club. Luckily it was daytime or else I might have felt a little over dressed compared to the scantily clad ladies that were standing in the doorways of these establishments.

So the parade started at 7:45pm, but we had to get there early to get a good spot. After getting a little lost, we made it around 5:00pm and there were already tons of people. So I bought a step stool from a street vendor because turns out everyone has something to stand on. And we claimed our spot on the corner of Oxford Street and Flinders Street, aka middle of Sydney's gayboorhood.
The parade was awesome, I won't be able to capture it here in words or in the pictures later because you just have to be there to truly appreciate it. But it was incredible to be surrounded by so much excitement and love. We were right next to the big screen TV that showed a live feed of the parade, and also next to the deejay. There was confetti, bubbles, fireworks, but surprisingly no beads were thrown. In fact none of the floats threw anything, and alcohol was not allowed on the streets although everyone was drinking.

As I mentioned I was standing on a tiny stool which probably had a 10 inch square on top. After a few hours of standing in one spot without moving my feet, I had lost most of the feeling in my toes, legs and knees. We decided to cut out a little early and recuperate at a bar close by, and let some locals buy us beer!

Here are some pics of the parade. Unfortunately, I didn't get good pics of any hotties although there were many, but that's okay because the hottest gays I know are back home in Texas! I miss my bois!