KEY FACTS ABOUT SYDNEY MARDI GRAS 2012

    Kylie Minogue and Sydney Mardi Gras

    * The NSW Government through Destination NSW has partnered with Sydney Gay 
      and Lesbian Mardi Gras to bring pop legend Kylie Minogue exclusively to 
      Sydney for Mardi Gras. 

    * Destination NSW welcomes Kylie Minogue to Australia’s leading tourism 
      and events city for one of the world’s leading events, Sydney Mardi Gras.

    * Among the cavalcade of spectacular floats was the Sydney Mardi Gras much 
      anticipated entrant, K25, which saw over 100 dancers pay homage to 
      singer Kylie Minogue and her 25 year career in the music industry. 

    * The K25 cast wowed audiences as they danced their way up Oxford Street 
      with elements of the fabulous float made up with Swarovski crystals. The 
      float made a pit-stop at Taylor Square to perform for Minogue who was 
      viewing the parade and eagerly awaiting her namesake float from the Club 
      Tropicana party.

    * Kylie is sure to make 2012 the biggest and best Sydney Mardi Gras ever, 
      coinciding with her 25th anniversary in the entertainment industry and
      her recent induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

    * Kylie Minogue is exclusive to Sydney and Sydney Mardi Gras 2012.

    About Sydney Mardi Gras 2012
    * Kylie Minogue is exclusive to Sydney and Sydney Mardi Gras 2012.

    * At Sydney Mardi Gras the city streets become the stage for one of the 
world’s most colourful street parades celebrating diversity. 

    * Marriage equality crusader Shelly Argent OAM was this year’s Chief of 
Parade and there were more than 9100 participants and 134 floats working their 
way up the parade route to the thunderous applause and cheers of the hundreds 
of thousands of people lining the streets.

    * Sydney Mardi Gras is a stand out event on the NSW Events Calendar, 
attracting hundreds and thousands of people and more than 20,000 overseas and 
interstate visitors who come specifically for the event, injecting around $30 
million in new money to NSW. 

    * Sydney Mardi Gras reaches very large media audiences of more than 70 
million people from interstate and key international tourism markets via press 
coverage and social media feeds about the event. 

    Other Sydney Mardi Gras events:
    Mardi Gras Drag Races on Bondi Beach Friday 2 March, 5pm. Sydney's 
world-famous beach became a chaos of high hair, heels and extravagant swimwear 
as Sydney’s drag queens and kings emerged to battle for honours in the 
14-year-old competition. New for 2012: the Dainty Dune Dash and Handbag Discus. 

    Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, 7.45pm, Saturday 3 March.

    Once seen, never forgotten, Mardi Gras Parade is an after-dark rainbow 
extravaganza of spectacular costumes, wild dancing and sheer joy winding its 
way through the streets of the CBD, Darlinghurst and Paddington. 

    Sydney Mardi Gras Party, 10pm-8am, Entertainment Quarter, Saturday 3 March.

    There's nothing to match the scale of the Sydney Mardi Gras Party... and 
2012 is the biggest. The streets and buildings of the Entertainment Quarter 
have been transformed into a theme park – Mardigrasland – where more than 
15,000 revellers will experience music, dance and extraordinary acts including 
RuPaul, Sam Sparro, Chicane and Horse Meat Disco. And a special appearance from 
this year's most talked about guest: Kylie.

    Recovery Party, midday-10pm, The Laneway, Sunday 4 March.
    The Laneway is a specially-created Mardi Gras party space embracing two of 
Sydney's hippest pubs, The Beresford and The Flinders, and Hill Street in 
between. This maze of good times will host drop-in DJs, pop-up performances and 
an old school/new school post-party paradise. The aftermath has never been so 
much fun!

    Background on Sydney Mardi Gras:

    Sydney Mardi Gras began as a pride event, but came to define the embracing 
and diverse city of Sydney. It remains the world’s most famous showcase of the 
diversity of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex 
communities, but has become a broader showcase of the power and beauty of 
diversity. 

    Only Sydney has taken its pride event so firmly to its heart, making it the 
biggest party of the year. Tens of thousands are part of the Parade itself. 
Hundreds of thousands fill the streets to get a glimpse, whether from the 
street or one of the premium viewing areas on offer.
For further information visit: www.mardigras.com.au, www.sydney.com
 

    Follow Sydney Mardi Gras on:
    http://www.facebook.com/seesydney,
    http://www.facebook.com/gaymardigras

    Kylie Minogue Twitter

    * @SydneyMardiGras 
    * #mardigras
    * #Sydney 


    The 2012 Sydney Mardi Gras Parade can be viewed at www.mardigrastv.org.au 
as of 7.30pm Sunday 4th March courtesy of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 
digital partner Optus.

    For Mardi Gras Media Interviews: Katie Hoskins,Marketing & Communications 
Manager – Parade, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Tel:  +61 (0) 423 506404 
|  F: +61 (0) 2 9383 0966  E: katie.hoskins@mardigras.org.au  | W:  
www.mardigras.org.au

    Destination NSW Media Contact: Diane Glasson, Manager, Destination 
Publicity and Promotion, Destination NSW, Tel: +61 2 9931 1475, +61 (0) 428 487 
585, diane.glasson@dnsw.com.au 

    SOURCE: Destination NSW

Image Attachments Links:
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=212060
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=212061
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=212062
http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=212063