Revellers wrapped in rainbows and sparkling in sequins will make a pilgrimage to the queer community's spiritual home as Mardi Gras returns to the streets after two years away.
On Saturday night, Sydney's Oxford Street will be awash with glitter as it welcomes an estimated 300,000 partygoers during the crown jewel of the WorldPride program.
More than 200 floats and 12,500 parade participants will dance through 1.7 kilometres of rainbow-lined streets in a celebration of queer identity, community and equality.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras returns to its heritage-listed route after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the parade to do laps within the confines of the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2021 and 2022.
Transgender activist Kalypso Finbar said the parade's return has come with a renewed sense of pride.
"It's almost like a resurrection," she said.
"There's a different energy in the air this year because there's more accessibility because of that Oxford Street factor."
For Mardi Gras veterans such as Dykes on Bikes president Emily Saunders, it feels like a homecoming.
"It's our natural home, we ride motorcycles, for us, being on the street is where we belong," she told AAP.
The 2023 celebration will also mark 45 years since Sydney's first Mardi Gras parade.
Lance Dow, who was part of that first 1978 march, says he feels "excited but odd" to still be attending almost five decades later.
"Being a '78er, it's incredible how far we've come since that night," he told AAP.
Mr Dow said the hundred or so marchers didn't have a clear idea about what they were doing back then.
"We didn't know much about pride in those days, it was all camp. But now I feel a lot of pride."
In recognition of their historical significance, Dykes on Bikes and their gay counterparts will lead the parade alongside a First Nations float and one dedicated to the 78ers.
This year's event will also feature some relative newcomers such as Haka for Life, an organisation that raises awareness of mens mental health issues.
CEO of Haka for Life Leon Ruri says their float, which will come alive with didgeridoos, corroboree and haka, will be one of the loudest of the night.
"We're using the medicine of culture," he told AAP.
"We've got so many people with diverse backgrounds and people recovering from serious addictions and all those sorts of things. So to have them here on this line and expressing themselves with a smile. We're winning."
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade begins at 6pm AEDT on Saturday.
Australian Associated Press
