Mardi Gras 2010 Season Guide Now Available for your Party Planning

New Mardi Gras launched their 2010 festival guide revealing a spectacular line up for next year’s season. The much loved favourites are back again – Fair Day, Hats Off, Parade, Harbour Party and Party. Big names for next year’s festival include Whitney Houston, Spencer Tunick’s The Base, and John Waters’ This Filthy World.

A new party called Parade Carnival which will take place after the Parade at Entertainment Quarter. It’s free for Parade participants, Mardi Gras volunteers and Members and will take place at the Show Ring, Dome and Forum. Line up and ticket information is yet to be announced.

The Pool Party will be back this year at The Ivy pool. Queer Thinking is a new aspect of the festival which is a fusion of academia, literature and ideas, bringing together the queer community’s best creative and academic talent.

For the internationals cruising into town on the Atlantis ship, Harbour Party will be their chance to let their hair down after the Parade. Next year’s DJ line up includes Wayne G, Paul Heron, Paul Goodyear, Sista P, Kitty Glitter and Jason Barry, spread over two levels.

Mardi Gras Party will cap off the festival on March 6 from 10pm. The DJ line up includes David Guetta, Bimbo Jones, Dan Murphy, Jake Kilby, Alan Thompson, Mark Murphy, Sveta, Mandy Rollins, Ben Drayton, GI Jode and Steve Sonius. The party ends at 8am, which gives you a few hours to head home and scrub up for Toybox at Luna Park, which kicks off at midday.

For more information goto:
http://www.mardigras.org.au/

New Mardi Gras Seeks to Protect Naming Rights

As Mardi Gras is Australia’s premier gay and lesbian celebration, New Mardi Gras has taken steps to ensure that it stays that way.

Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is approaching its 32nd year, and what began as an act of defiance for gay equality and ended as a violent riot in 1978 has evolved into a powerhouse celebration of Australia’s colourful gay and lesbian culture.

New Mardi Gras (NMG) is to investigate establishing a separate organisation in order to protect its intellectual property which include the use of the name ‘Mardi Gras’.

The move was voted on by its members at its annual general meeting held on Wednesday at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Kensington.

It was one of two motions brought before the members. The second, a constitutional amendment that would legally bind the board to consult its members and hold a general meeting before implementing changes such as splitting the parade and party on separate weekends, was defeated.

It is hoped that the changes will result in a more colsultative stance to be taken by the new board of the NMG board.

Here's to a better year of Mardi Gras Celebrations!

New Mardi Gras admits mistake and elects new board

New Mardi Gras (NMG) has conceded that the reason for splitting the Parade and Party to separate weekends was due to a scheduling error with commercial partners and sponsors. The admission was made during the organisation's annual general meeting on Wednesday, held at Kensington, where a new board was elected.

Under intense questioning by members, the board said the split behind the two events was because of conflicting arrangements.

All members of the board were re-elected at the meeting, along with two new candidates: Lynne O'Brien and Michael Douglas. The election brings to eight the total number of board members. The re-elected board members include Joshua Keech, Tony Knight, Kirk Muddle, Rob Partos, Nicholas Parker and Steph Sands.

The 2010 Mardi Gras has a new format for 2010, lasting two weeks and punctuated by major events on three successive weekends – Launch at Fair Day, Parade and Party.

The key dates for the Mardi Gras Season are:
Launch/Fair Day - 21st February
Parade and post-Parade Event - 27th February
Harbour '10- 10 - 28th February
Party - 6th March