The Sydney World Pride 2023 event, which is undoubtedly the largest on the international LGBTI+ calendar, is making its way to the Southern Hemisphere in just a few months.
It's hard to overstate the size of this event, and it's no accident that many people refer to the event as the 'gay Olympics'.
So, what is World Pride Sydney 2023?
World Pride Sydney 2023 will take place from February 17 until March 5 next year.
It's a massive event that consists of concerts, festivals, parades, conferences and just about any kind of event you can think of.
The New South Wales government expects as many as 500,000 people to attend from around the world, spending more than $100 million in Sydney while they're there.
In terms of timing, World Pride 2023 is landing at the perfect time. It will coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the first-ever Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the fifth anniversary of same-sex marriage in Australia.
The top five events taking place at World Pride:
Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert
Tickets for this event were selling fast before a single act had been announced. And, following just a couple of announcements, those who got in early got lucky.
Kylie Minogue, Charli XCX and Jessica Mauboy have already been confirmed, and it's rumoured there's one more act yet to be announced.
The event will take place at The Domain and will be broadcast live on television around the world.
Hosted by Casey Donovan and Courtney Act, this event will well and truly get the party started.
The opening concert is a family event, with tickets available for picnic areas (BYO rug), as well as reserved seating closer to the stage.
Where: The Domain, Sydney
When: Friday, February 24
Mardi Gras Parade
As mentioned earlier, it's also the 45th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Combine that with an audience from around the world in town for World Pride, and you've got the recipe for what is likely to be the biggest mardi gras parade ever to hit the streets of Sydney.
There will be more than 12,500 people marching in the parade, that's the equivalent of the entire town of Te Awamutu taking a walk all at once. Alongside these will be more than 200 floats.
It's become customary for the event to rev off to the sound of the Dykes on Bikes, a group with significant historical ties to the queer community in Sydney.
It also wouldn't be Mardi Gras without a few lifeguards. And, there will be plenty of those, too, strutting their speedos from one end of Oxford Street to the other.
Every year the parade has a theme, and this year it's Gather, Dream, Amplify.
Viewing areas for this event are in more demand than a patch of sand on Bondi Beach, so prepare to arrive early. But, this parade will be historic, so it will be well worth the wait.
Where: From Hyde Park to Moore Park via Oxford Street and Flinders Street
When: Saturday, February 25
Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference
WorldPride isn't just about music and partying. It's also where a lot of discussion takes place about issues such as human rights and global politics.
Sydney's conference will be the largest LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Conference ever to be held on this side of the globe.
There will be speeches from around 60 leaders from the rainbow community around the world, including Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, a Green Party MP from Aotearoa.
But, this isn't a conference where you just sit down and shut up. Everyone attending will have the chance to share their thoughts and opinions during group discussions and workshops.
Where: Sydney's International Convention Centre
When: Wednesday March 1 - Friday March 3
Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert
This massive event will showcase the region's Aboriginal and Torres Strait LGBTQIA+ community.
The two-hour concert will feature Jessica Mauboy, Electric Fields and Casey Donovan, and will take place at the Sydney Opera House.
Where: Sydney Opera House
When: Thursday March 2
Bondi Beach Party
When you think of World Pride in Sydney, you might straight away think of boys in speedos strutting their stuff at Bondi Beach. And, for the most part that would be wrong. But, for this event you might be onto something.
The iconic beach will be transformed into a club hosting 12,000 people. Taking to the stage is another icon, pop star Nicole Scherzinger.
This has the makings of being potentially the highlight of the entire World Pride event - should the weather play ball.
Where: Bondi Beach
When: Saturday March 4
Getting there:
The fun of World Pride can take off well before you even arrive in Sydney, with a number of airlines operating special World Pride flights.
Qantas is operating a special service from Los Angeles on February 22 which costs about US$1645.
Passengers will be entertained in the Qantas Los Angeles First Lounge by Australian comedian Joel Creasey before boarding.
Once the flight is off the ground, it will play special inflight movies, music and content curated for the LGBTQI+ community and will be crewed by the Qantas Illuminate network - a community of Qantas LGBTQI + employees and their allies.
Virgin Australia is operating flights from across Australia in time for the event, including maiden flights from Adelaide and Perth.
Virgin Australia-operated Pride Flight services will be hosted by RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under stars Coco Jumbo, Karen From Finance, Kween Kong and Maxi Shield.
Flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth will include a pre-flight departure party.
Air New Zealand had intended to operate a special flight from Auckland, but it has since been removed from the airline's schedule.
United Airlines and Virgin Australia will also be operating an international service from San Francisco to Sydney.
