Go West Young Man - Mardi Gras
I had a look through the Mardi Gras website tonight, in an effort to find which events I would like to attend over the next month or so. I’m no longer into the party scene, but I am interested in some of the community events. Here’s what I’ve found I would like to attend.
Saturday 9 February – Mardi Gras Launch
Location and Time: 4pm at Moore Park East, cnr Moore Park Road & Anzac Parade
Summary: Lights, camera, action! Get dressed in your loudest and proudest clothes, green fingers at the ready and be prepared to share your story with the world! Join us to launch the 2008 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Festival… oh and you won’t believe who our special guest will be…
Saturday 9 February – Acceptance Sydney Trivia Night
Location and Time: St Joseph’s Church, Newtown 7.30-11.30pm
Summary: Cabaret is the 2008 theme!! Dress to thrill or excess to impress. Our annual Trivia and Dance night moves to Newtown. It’s a BYO affair so pack some food and bring your drinks, come with friends or join a table on the night. Help raise funds for Stanford House, supporting people with HIV/AIDS. Loads of prizes to win, a silent auction, superb entertainment and the famous Trash ‘n Treasure Table returns! Acceptance is a not for profit community group operating in Sydney since 1972. Bookings are essential.
Tuesday 12 February – Short Story Competition
Location and Time: 6.30pm at The Polo Lounge, 134 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
Summary: After a great response in 2007, the New Mardi Gras Short Story Competition, in association with the NSW Writers’ Centre is back to celebrate the Festival’s 30th anniversary. To coincide with the ‘Brave New Worlds’ theme for the 2008 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, the short story theme this year is ‘One Small Step’. Writers are free to interpret this any way, however the story must feature New Mardi Gras values, to celebrate and enable visible and proud GLBTQ people in their communities. Entrants need not identify as GLBTQ, but the story must be GLBTQ themed.
Saturday 16 February – “My Exhibition Day”
1/… Take a trip down memory lane and see how artists have responded to this year’s theme ‘Brave New Worlds’. Featuring the artworks from the past 30 years of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Mardi Gras Art Gallery will host a number of local and international artists including Shane Fergusson, Y, Jozef Szekeres, Nicholas Ball, Brenda Factor, Martin Roberts, sally Clarke, Ged McDermott, Mazz Image, Patricia Niven, Anton Veenstra, Luke Carr, Angelo Giannoutsos, Stephen House and many others. TAP Art Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst
2/… Photographic producer, Robert McGrath, harnesses the future talents of photography by recruiting the most promising undergraduate students and the most exciting photo bloggers to create a crack team whose aim is to capture the energy, creativity and individuality of the whole Mardi Gras; including Festival and community events and of course the big Parade and Party. Watch for updated slide shows projected nightly in the Darlinghurst PhotoArt Space shopfront for the bug eye’s view. Darlinghurst PhotoArt Space, 76 Oxford St
3/… In Fuck Love, Carl Hopgood presents Hustler Freeze a cermaic tiled triptych completing covering the walls of the White Cubicle. The tiles depict male sex worker classified adverts found in the back of gay magazines, mostly headless torsos protecting their identities. A private act made public, immortalised onto a collage of domestic tiles. The potraits are reminiscent of classical Greek statues with broken off body parts and in the repetition of the image, their technicolour beauty seemingly becomes an abstract stained glass window glossing over a darker underground world. Loation: Taylor Square Public Lavatory, Oxford St, Darlinghurst
Sunday 17 February – Fair Day
Location and Time: Victoria Park 10am until 6.30pm
Summary: In February over 65,000 people packed into the beautiful Victoria Park to make 2007’s Fair Day the most successful yet. 2008 is the 30th anniversary of Sydney’s gay and lesbian Mardi Gras festival. As one of the highlights of the birthday celebrations Fair Day is set to be even bigger and better.
Monday 18 February – Book Readings
Location and Time: 8pm at Madame Fling Flong, Level 1, 169 King St, Newtown
Summary: Relax with a drink as some of the best quirky queer books are brought to life. This year we focus on relationships with friends and families. Stories of coming out, bringing home first love and parents coming out stories will feature in this terrific night of literary celebration. Soak up the atmosphere of Madame Fling Flong’s and enjoy a really different and tasty event this festival. A fundraiser for PFLAG Western Sydney.$15/ Concession $17 Booking Information 0415 163 417
Tuesday 26 February – Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence
Location and Time: 10.30am at Paddington Post Office
Summary: An intriguing, entertaining, accurate and extensive visitation with the Sydney House of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence. Journey through the history of Sydney’s famous ‘Golden Mile’ and the famous and infamous venues and characters of today and yesterday. With the assistance of Sydney’s Leather Pride Association, the raucous and raunchy history of the strip with fond and detailed descriptions of the sex on premises venues is captured to titillate your imagination. Bring your walking shoes, an open mind and your own memories to share.
Wednesday 27 Feb – Meet The 78’ers
Location and Time: 7.30pm at The Rex Centre, 58A Macleay St- entrance near Baroda St, Kings Cross
Summary: A social evening organised by the Pride History Group. Meet some of the lesbians and gay men who took part in the first Mardi Gras in 1978. Cost is Free: donation appreciated. Booking Information John White- 02 9558 9419 Diane Minnis- 0411 213 019
Saturday 1 March – Mardi Gras
Some of them I’ll probably dump due to other life stuff, but some I’m really keen to go to others. Wanna join me for some of these events?
What are you up to for Mardi Gras? Anything I’ve missed I should think about? What about a gay and lesbian blogger meetup for Mari Gras? Is anything planned? Should we plan something?
