PLAN YOUR PARADE EXPERIENCE

Planning ahead

Please check the weather conditions on the day and prepare accordingly. This is an outdoor event which operates in all weather conditions, so please come prepared.

Forecast of sunshine and rainbows
It’s time to Slip, Slop, Slap! We recommend bringing your hat, sunglasses and own sunscreen for the day to keep you, your friends or family protected from the sun. It’s important to stay sun smart and beat the heat. NSW Health has prepared some helpful tips on how to stay healthy in hot temperatures.

It can rain on our parade
Please do not bring umbrellas. We recommend bringing weatherproof clothing, ponchos are ideal for staying dry.

In the unlikely event that the Parade is delayed or cancelled due to severe weather conditions, announcements and notifications will be made via our social media updates. Follow Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and information.

Travelling to and from the Parade

Trains and buses run frequently to the city and additional late night services will run to help you get home again. Keep in mind, trains don’t run all night on Mardi Gras so plan your trip home ahead of time. If you’re catching the bus, plan ahead as services to and from the city will be using different routes and stops while roads are closed between 4pm and 2am.

Travel on public transport is not free on Mardi Gras night, remember you’ll need to use an Opal card or contactless payment method when travelling on public transport. Remember to tap your Opal card or major debit/credit card on and off when travelling on transport.

Pedestrian crossing of the parade route on Oxford St and Flinders St is available until 7pm before the event gets underway so make sure you head towards your preferred viewing side of the parade early to secure a spot. Use Town Hall, St James, Martin Place or Kings Cross stations for access to the northern side, or use Central station for the southern side. Note, Museum Station will be closed from 5pm due to large crowds.

If you have specific transport questions, you can contact Transport NSW on:

• Main Phone: 131 500
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS): 131 450
• Teletypewriter (TTY) Service: 1800 637 500

The Transport NSW website features trip planners with maps and journey details, including information on accessible travel on public transport.

Website links for Transport NSW:

• Transport NSW Home Page
• Accessible Travel

Train Travel

• If you are travelling by train, please check that the arrival and departure stations have facilities that meet your access needs.
• All patrons who register to the Accessible Viewing Area must alight the train at Central Train Station in 2023. From Central Station you will then be able to transfer to alternate public transport services or the free Mardi Gras accessible shuttle bus service.
• We remind you that Museum Station will be closed from 5pm on Samedi 25 Février until 4am on Dimanche 26 Février.

Bus Travel

• Mardi Gras recommend any patrons travelling by bus to alight at Central Train Station. From Central Station you will then be able to transfer to alternate public transport services or the free Mardi Gras accessible shuttle bus service.
• From 3pm, extra buses will run into the city from the northern beaches, the north shore, the inner west and the eastern suburbs. More details on these services will be available on the Transport NSW website.
• After the Parade, extra bus services will run on major routes out of the city until 3am.
• Some buses will be diverting from their regular routes due to major road closures which begin from 3pm.

Accessible Taxis, Rideshare & Drop-Off Zone

• The large crowds and road closures around the Parade footprint can make it challenging for taxis and rideshares to safely drop-off and pick-up passengers in certain areas of the City, particularly around Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. An accessible taxi/rideshare drop-off and pick-up zone will be available on the corner of Albion and Bourke Streets, Surry Hills.
• Taxi and rideshare companies will not be able to take booking requests for pick-up in areas where there are road closures.
• Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) bookings can be made via Zero200. Bookings must be made prior to the Mardi Gras Parade night through Zero200.

Driving & road closures

Major road closures and widespread parking restrictions will be in place from as early as 3pm on Samedi 25 Février and most roads remain closed until 4am Dimanche. Motorists are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in the CBD and to expect delays as traffic will be heavy on detour routes.

Pedestrian access across the parade route will be maintained at Riley St, Crown St and Albion St from 4.30pm until 7pm, after such time there is no pedestrian crossing of Oxford or Flinders Streets available until roads reopen.

Key road closures:

• Major road closures and widespread parking restrictions will be in place from as early as 3pm on Samedi 25 Février and most roads remain closed until 4am Dimanche.
• Motorists are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in the CBD and to expect delays as traffic will be heavy on detour routes.
• Pedestrian access across the parade route will be maintained at Riley St, Crown St and Albion St from 4.30pm until 7pm, after such time there is no pedestrian crossing of Oxford or Flinders Streets available until roads reopen.
• Key road closures
• From 2pm to 1am: sections of College St, Wentworth Ave and surounding local streets.
• From 3pm to 3am: sections of Bourke St, Campbell St and surrounding local streets.
• From 4pm to 4am: Flinders St between Oxford St and Moore Park Rd, and southbound Anzac Pde from Moore Park Rd to Lang Rd, including the Eastern Distributor Randwick Anzac Pde off-ramp (Bondi exit remains open). Anzac Pde closes northbound from 5pm.
• From 4.30pm to 1am: Liverpool St between Elizabeth St and College St, and local streets in Surry Hills between Elizabeth St and Riley St
• From 4.30pm to 2am: Oxford St between College St and Darlinghurst Rd, sections of Crown St, sections of South Dowling between Oxford St and Fitzroy St, and local streets off Oxford St.
• From 6.30pm to 2am: sections of Moore Park Rd and Driver Ave (until 10am Dimanche).
• From 9pm to 1am: sections of Elizabeth St, Castlereagh St and Pitt St between Market and Goulburn streets will close to allow crowds to safely leave the CBD.

For detailed closure and clearway listings and maps, visit Live Traffic NSW.

Parking & clearways

With carparks in the city expected to fill early and extensive restrictions on street parking in place, it’s best to leave the car at home and take advantage of the additional public transport services running to get you to and from Mardi Gras celebrations.

If you have to drive and park your vehicle be aware that roads may close around your parked location. Vehicles are not permitted to drive on closed roads or exit car park driveways onto closed roads at any time unless at the direction of NSW Police.

For parking options in the Sydney CBD visit City of Sydney – Parking.

Special event clearway parking restrictions will be in effect from 6am on Samedi until 3am on Dimanche on various key roads along and surrounding the parade route in the Sydney CBD, Surry Hills and Moore Park. Look for the bright yellow signs and read them carefully when parking your vehicle on the day or the night before as clearways come into effect early in the morning.

Clearways are strict no-parking zones, and apply even to residents and businesses with parking permits or TfNSW Mobility Scheme permit holders. Vehicles left in special event clearways will be towed and a fee applies. If your car is towed, call 132 701 to find its new location.

For the latest traffic conditions, listed clearway locations and maps visit Live Traffic NSW.

Event safety

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been working closely with NSW Health, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and other key stakeholders to ensure safety is the top priority for everyone at the Parade.

In the event of an emergency, please:

• Call 000 (triple zero) immediately for emergency services to respond.
• Notify the incident to our staff, security, volunteers or NSW Police on the ground near you. They will be able to assist you and alert Event Management for next steps.

In the event of an emergency, please follow the directions of emergency services (NSW Police, Fire + Rescue NSW, or NSW Ambulance) and our staff, security and volunteers.

Mardi Gras Accessible Transfer Services

We provide various transfer services to registered guests with accessibility needs to help them travel to their Parade viewing area. These services include:

• Accessible Shuttle Bus Service from Central Train Station to close proximity of the Accessible Viewing Area
• Accessible Buggy Service – to assist with travelling from the Shuttle Bus drop-off to the Accessible Viewing Area
• Accessible Parking

These services are available to:

• Registered guests to the Parade Accessible Viewing Area
• Any Parade viewing area ticketholdets (such as Diamond Club and Sideshow) with accessibility requirements (or their companions)

If you are interested in using any of these services, you must identify this when you purchase tickets or register for our Parade accessible viewing area by 5pm, Lundi 6 Février 2023. Please contact us on [email protected] or phone us between 10am to 6pm weekdays on (02) 9383 0900 if you have any questions or require assistance.

Accessible Shuttle Bus Service

• A complimentary shuttle bus service will be available to registered guests of the Parade accessible viewing area, and ticketholders of other Parade viewing areas with accessibility requirements.
• The shuttle bus service works on a rotating loop. All buses are wheelchair accessible, and drivers will be able to assist passengers with getting on and off the bus.
• The shuttle bus stop locations will be released in late 2022.
• The table below details the shuttle bus operating times along with pick up and drop off locations.
• Please note that we recommend use of the 9:30pm shuttle bus for high-needs access guests if they choose to leave the Parade early and try to avoid the large crowd when the Parade finishes.

Shuttle Bus Schedule – Samedi 25 Février 2023

	Temps	Pick-Up Location	Drop-Off Location
Pre-Parade	5:00pm – 7:30pm	Foveaux Street near corner of Terry Street (in front of Australian Institute of Music)	Albion Street at the corner of Bourke Street
Post-Parade	9:30pm – 11:59pm	Albion Street at corner of Bourke Street	Foveaux Street near corner of Terry Street (in front of Australian Institute of Music)

Accessible Buggy Service

• A complimentary buggy service will be available to transfer accessible guests of the Parade accessible viewing area, and accessible ticket holders of the other ticketed Mardi Gras Parade viewing areas.
• The buggy service will transfer guests between the corner of Bourke and Albion Streets to the accessible viewing area entry gate at Linden Lane. This gate is 50 metres distance from the accessible viewing area located on Flinders Street.
• Priority to this service will be given to high-needs access guests upon arrival.
• There will be two buggy carts operating on a rotating loop. This will be wheelchair accessible.
• NB: Club Cindy guests should not use the buggy service. Instead, get off the shuttle bus and walk down Albion St towards Flinders St and cross the road to enter Club Cindy (approx. 50m).

Accessible Buggy Schedule – Samedi 25 Février 2023

	Temps	Pick-Up Location	Drop-Off Location
Pre-Parade	5:00pm – 7:30pm	Bourke Street at corner of Albion Street	Linden Lane at the corner of Bourke Street
Post-Parade	9:30pm – 11:00pm	Linden Lane at corner of Maiden Lane	Bourke Street at the corner of Albion Street