SURPRISE! To celebrate the first day of the festival today, Sydney WorldPride has announced singer Ava Max will join the epic line-up at the official closing concert Rainbow Republic presented by Optus at The Domain on Sunday 5 March 2023. The event will be Ava Max’s first public performance in Australia, and her only Australian appearance this summer.

The star, behind the stratospheric hits “Sweet But Psycho” and “Kings & Queens”, will join an incredible line up of international and local talent including Grammy award-winning Kim Petras, American band MUNA, as well as local legends Peach PRC, Alter Boy and Vetta Borne.  

Ava Max said: “It’s been three years since I’ve been able to get to Australia, so when the opportunity came to join the Rainbow Republic closing concert line-up for Sydney WorldPride I. COULD. NOT. RESIST. Sydney will be the first place I get to perform a full set from Diamonds & Dancefloors, so I cannot wait to be amongst this global explosion of rainbow!”

G Flip and Keiynan Lonsdale will co-host Rainbow Republic and perform at the seven-hour closing concert at The Domain, as Sydney hands to baton to the WorldPride 2025 host city Washington DC. Ava Max and Kim Petras are appearing exclusively at Rainbow Republic.

Sydney WorldPride Chief Executive, Kate Wickett, said: “What a way to celebrate the final night of Sydney WorldPride, with a truly exceptional line-up of international and local talent. We can’t wait to hear Ava perform at this once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Acclaimed Australian directors and choreographers, The Squared Division are the Executive Producers and Creative Directors for both Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert presented by American Express, and Rainbow Republic presented by Optus.

The Squared Division’s Director, Ashley Evans, said: “We are super excited to be coming home to Australia to create some magic for this momentous and historic event! Our careers began humbly in the LGBTQIA+ clubs around Australia and now we have proudly come full circle, back on the Australian LGBTQIA+ scene as Executive Producers and Creative Directors.

“We are so excited to return to our old stomping ground to collaborate with so many familiar and new faces. We hope to see you there!”

Sydney WorldPride starts today and runs for 17 days. To mark the start of the festival, for one-night only, the Sydney Opera House will be lit up with the Pride Progress Flag tonight as part of the #RainbowCity public art project.

Final tickets to Rainbow Republic presented by Optus are available now at SydneyWorldPride.com.

Explore the 300+ free and ticketed events in the Sydney WorldPride Festival Guide.

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