A gay time at the fair

Victoria Park played home to the annual Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday transforming the usually evergreen aesthetic into a sea of rainbow colours.

Organisers expected some 70,000 revellers to come and enjoy the entertainment at the Fair Day which included the Gaydar Garden Lounge, Dulcie’s Dog Show, dodgem cars and live music on the main stage.

The Fair Day hosted many community groups who each had their own stall and niche market. Some of the more colourful stalls included the Gay Sydney Nudists, who were conspicuously clothed, Sydney Leather Pride and of course, the bears had their tree and the dykes their bikes.

The Fair Day also introduced the New Mardi Gras (NMG) Hub, a space which provides information about the upcoming Mardi Gras Parade, which will be held March 5, and other events in the Mardi Gras calendar.

One change coming to this year’s parade is the inclusion of a new Rainbow Zone which organisers say will ensure a more welcoming and enjoyable experience for audience members attending the parade.

“Parade is a major Sydney event, it showcases the diversity and tolerance of our city to the world,” NMG Parade Producer Vicktor Petroff said. “The Rainbow Zone will extend the area of festivities, and we welcome into this area anybody who wants to celebrate with us.”

The Rainbow Zone will be hosted by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community, or the GLBTQ, in the area surrounding the Parade route. All of the streets approaching the Oxford Street and Flinders Street portions of the Parade will be closed from 5pm.

The Zone will also have an increased police presence, which organisers hope will keep the area around the Parade free from anti-social behaviour.

Assistant Commissioner of the NSW Police Force Alan Clarke was confident the changes would make this year’s parade even safer.

“Police have been working with the organisers of this year’s event to ensure the safety of entrants and the audience alike. The significant changes will assist the police in ensuring this year’s event is safer and more enjoyable for all.”

The changes also mean that traditional routes to access the Parade have changed and NMG is advising revellers to check approach routes on their website www.mardigras.org.au.