The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) has already had to turn away float applications due to the sheer volume of people who have submitted ideas for next year’s parade.
2018 will mark 40 years since Sydney’s LGBT+ community first bravely marched down Oxford St to demand equal rights—a peaceful protest that turned violent when it was ambushed by Darlinghurst police.
The theme ‘40 years of evolution’ will honour the 78ers who paved the way for LGBT+ rights in Australia and celebrate four decades of “love, protest, diversity, acceptance, activism, pride, family, passion, creativity and satire”.
SGLMG CEO Terese Casu said in a statement that the anniversary parade has attracted a “phenomenal number of applications, far exceeding our total capacity”.
"To ensure the safety and enjoyment of all our floats and marchers, the Parade has a maximum capacity of approximately 12,000 people - so, unfortunately, we were not able to accept all applications.
“While we wish we could open our arms to all applications, we have had to make hard decisions regarding our capacity."
Some of the featured floats in the 2018 parade will include a HIV/AIDs remembrance float, a 78ers float plus a lesbian marching girls float.
