Launch/Fair Day - 21st February
Parade & Parade Night Event - 27th February
Harbour ‘10 - 28th February
Party - 6th March
Following the success of last year’s launch NMG will again use Fair Day to kick off two weeks packed with the very best gay & lesbian arts and cultural events you will see any where in the world.
Mardi Gras Parade will take place on the 27th February in the usual place and with the theme ‘Mardi Gras’ History of the World’. Next year's Parade won’t mean just the start of a big night for Sydney, but instead a big week of parties and events that will run all the way to the closing Mardi Gras Party on 6th March.
The first of these will be a parade night event which we will announce in the coming months. The following day you are invited to Harbour Party ’10 on the 28th February in the Royal Botanic Gardens. In the days that follow a packed program of daytime and night-time events right across the city, from the beach to harbour and from concert hall to dance floor.
NMG are excited about this new format and believe we can deliver an even better Mardi Gras in 2010.
SO WHY THE CHANGES
They have moved to a two-week festival having reviewed other similar events worldwide. There are relevant recent examples of arts festivals moving from three-weeks to two in recent years and for good reason: "It is very hard to maintain a world-class programme over such a long period. We believe our efforts will have much more impact in the shorter format. We certainly don't envisage shortening the Festival further." they said.
"There are a number of reasons that together persuaded us that we ought to trial putting a week between the Parade and Party in 2010. For one thing our research through focus groups and surveys has pointed to our members and ticket-buyers preferring that we experiment with the format. We hope you will support us in a change which we think can bring great results. Clearly all change involves risk and we stand ready to learn from the experience."
A more inclusive Parade and Party. "We are aware that large numbers of Parade participants don't make it to the Party. They are simply too tired to appreciate a Party that runs to 8am after often starting early on Saturday morning. The same applies to our volunteers, many of whom are entitled to a discount ticket, but are too tired to take up the offer. Equally we believe there are large numbers who say they are usually preparing for the Party instead of watching the Parade. We would like both events to be easily enjoyed by as many as possible. "
A longer buzz. "One of the key things we heard from focus groups and informally this year was that there wasn't enough buzz in the run-up to Parade night. There was one really big night and by Monday morning Mardi Gras was gone for another year.
We think we can deliver a much more sustained experience. We have looked at how other major events like Rio and New Orleans are structured and although both contain a single headline parade they maintain a longer period of parties and events either side of those parades.
This is what we hope to achieve this year, providing a much more intensive programme of daytime and night-time events right across the city, using Sydney as a playground, to create an unmissable high-octane fortnight - and particularly in that final week up to the Party."
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