Mardi Gras Party Axed

The 2026 Mardi Gras post-parade Party has been cancelled and the community is shocked, disappointed and angry. 

In an announcement made only weeks before the scheduled event, Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson confirmed long-circulating rumours that the Mardi Gras Party would not be held this year. 

The cancellation of one of Mardi Gras’ most popular signature events has left many in Sydney’s LGBTQI+ community bewildered and saddened, while others are cynical and unimpressed. 

Matheson made the announcement via a statement that was posted on Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ various platforms and sent out as a media release. 

“Last year, I was appointed CEO and tasked with renewing and reimagining the festival following two years of significant financial loss,” Matheson said in the statement.  “A major contributor to that loss has been the Mardi Gras PARTY, which has run at a deficit every year since 2020 following the loss of the Royal Hall of Industries […]

“For those unfamiliar with its scale, the Mardi Gras PARTY is an approximately $2 million event - effectively a festival within a festival. At times, it has cost more to deliver than the Parade and Fair Day, while also being our most expensive ticketed event for the community. It has always been a significant undertaking.”

Matheson emphasised that he and the board anguished over the decision, ultimately deciding it was the only thing to do, citing what he called an “existential threat to the future of Mardi Gras”. 

Sponsorship has steadily decreased and government grants have not made up the shortfall in the enormous cost of putting on the three-week long Mardi Gras festival, of which the Parade and Party are the climax. 

In 2020, the Royal Hall of Industries (RHI), which had up until then been one of the two large venues utilised for the Party, was acquired by Sydney Swans as their HQ. This significantly reduced capacity and, therefore, gate takings.

Over the years, ticket prices for the Party have increased to a point where they are prohibitive for many would-be attendees. Matheson noted this in his statement. 

“As CEO, I could not continue to sell expensive tickets to an event I did not believe offered value for our community, honoured the Mardi Gras PARTY’s legacy, or protected the organisation’s financial future.”

The first post-parade party was held in 1980 as a modest BYO affair at Paddington Town Hall. In 1982, a large, rave-style, dusk-to-dawn event was introduced to the Mardi Gras Festival programme. It was held at Moore Park and incorporated the RHI, the Hordern Pavilion, the Byron Kennedy Hall and various other buildings, and included the spaces and pathways between. 

A-list DJs worked decks in each venue. A special feature of the early Parties was a surprise performance by one or more iconic pop stars. The identity of the guests was a fiercely guarded secret until the advent of social media made that impossible. 

Big names that have appeared at the Party include Marcia Hines, George Michael, Duo Lipa,  Cyndi Lauper, Sam Smith, Boy George, Kylie Minogue and Cher, to name a very few.  

Matheson concluded the announcement by expressing optimism about next year, stating confidently: “Mardi Gras PARTY will return.”