So you’ve done the bridge climb and wandered around the harbour. You’ve marvelled at the Opera House and poked around in the gift shops. What next? Is there anything else to do in Sydney? We think so; so much, in fact, that we’ve got two ‘What’s on in Sydney’ pages this month. The first one focuses on the month’s biggest events.
2015 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The party that started on 20 February reaches its climax on the weekend of 7 and 8 March, with the 37th Annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
There are plays and photographic competitions, drag queens and discos, but the real fun will be on the final weekend.
The parade starts at 7.45pm at the corner of Oxford and Flinders in Darlinghurst, when 10,000 will dance through the streets for the following 3 hours. It is free to watch, but it will be busy and it’s worth investing in a footstool to see over the crowds.
If joining the crowds on the street doesn’t appeal you’ll find the Parade Sideshows give you the full Mardi Gras experience with added food, drink, celebrity hosts (only local ones, don’t expect Kylie) and seating if your feet need a rest. Tickets cost $149 and include a shuttle bus to and from Central Station.
Where: Darlinghurst and Kings Cross
When: 7-8 March
How much: Free to view from the street
Photo courtesy of The Diamond Club in Sydney
St Patrick’s Day Parade and Family Day
The largest Irish event in the southern hemisphere attracts more than 80,000 Irish(ish) revellers, making it the fourth largest St Patrick’s Day parade in the world after New York, Dublin and Boston.
The theme this year is ‘Celebrating Life’, so it’s fitting that the parade will commemorate the centenary of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps formed during the First World War) landings at Gallipoli.
2015 is also the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Irish poet W.B. Yeats.
The parade starts at midday but there’s entertainment from 10.30am. The Family Day starts at 1pm and features Irish music, food, drink and children’s events. It should finish around 6.30pm.
Where: Family Day: Hyde Park North; Parade starts at the corner of George and Bathurst Street
When: Sunday 15 March
How much: Free
Photo courtesy of www.stpatricksday.org.au
The Royal Sydney Easter Show
This annual event was first held in 1823 as a way of supporting and encouraging the rural economy. Today it has grown from merely an agricultural show into the largest event of its kind in Australia and the 6th largest in the world.
As well as the inevitable animal, floral and art and craft competitions you’ll find more unusual activities such as tent-pegging, steer roping and wood chopping. And there’s plenty of food, drink, music and fairground rides to sample too.
Where: Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park
When: 26 March – 8 April
How much: A range of ticket prices start at $35.50 for the early bird offer which closes at midnight on Monday 16 March. All Showlink tickets come with free transport
Photo courtesy of www.eastershow.com.au
ICC Cricket World Cup
The advantage to watching sport in another country is that, as top prices are usually charged for the home nation, you can sometimes support your team for less.
That’s certainly the case at the ICC Cricket World Cup, where the cheapest tickets for the Australia v Sri Lanka game cost the same as the most expensive ones for England v Afghanistan ($40.60, if you’re wondering).
Of course, that price difference could be an Aussie jibe at our performances…
If you’re really keen you’ll have to head off to Melbourne to catch the final on Sunday 29 March.
Where: Sydney Cricket Ground
When: 8 March and 26 March
How much: Check site for details
Photo courtesy of www.icc-cricket.com
Prefer something a little more off the beaten path? Take a look at the second of our What’s on in Sydney pages for March.
Quick Links:
What’s on in Sydney
Discover more about Sydney
Exploring Australia? Why not write for us?
Visiting Australia? Plan Your Australian Trip
