Our photographer Michelle Haywood captured the energy and colour of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday 15 February at Victoria Park, Broadway.
The much-loved community event returned bigger and bolder, featuring live performances, community stalls, food, music, and spaces celebrating trans, youth, and First Nations voices.
From the Smoking Ceremony and Butterfly Dancers to crowd favourites like Doggywood, the Drag King Games, and the Queer Fashion Runway, Fair Day marked a joyful start to the Mardi Gras season.
Meanwhile, hundreds gathered at the annual Mardi Gras Street Rally at Pride Square in Newtown, to defend trans youth health care, and end policing of queer communities.
Fair Day and the Street Rally together set the tone for Mardi Gras 2026, showing Sydney at its most colourful, joyful, and politically engaged.
