Australians will be able to celebrate the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade live when Australian Broadcasting Corporation airs a special broadcast event on Saturday 28 February at 7.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
The live coverage will showcase one of the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ celebrations, as more than 12,000 participants take over Oxford Street under this year’s theme, ECSTATICA.
Familiar faces return to host the parade
Returning to lead the broadcast are drag icon Courtney Act and ABCQueer host Mon Schafter, alongside ABC news presenter Jeremy Fernandez and comedian Nath Valvo.
They will be joined throughout the night by a rotating group of on-the-ground contributors, including LGBTQIA+ media personality Brooke Blurton, celebrity chef Anna Polyviou and newly out former AFL player Mitch Brown.
From the floats to the crowd, the broadcast will capture the spectacle of Mardi Gras alongside personal stories from across the LGBTQIA+ community.
Latifa Tee will also host triple j’s Mardi Gras party, delivering a soundtrack of queer anthems throughout the night.
A national celebration of pride and visibility
The 2026 broadcast aims to extend the energy of the parade beyond Sydney, sharing the pride, creativity and activism of the LGBTQIA+ community with audiences nationwide.
Mardi Gras co-host Mon Schafter said the event remains deeply personal and powerful.
“Mardi Gras is a celebration of community – its joy, power and resilience. It’s my favourite night of the year, and I can’t wait to get covered in glitter and be loud and proud,” Schafter said.
“In the lead up to the parade, we’ll also be sharing a range of exciting queer stories and debates on ABCQueer and ABC Australia socials. More pride than you can poke a stick at.”
ABC Head of Arts, Music and Events Kath Earle said the broadcaster was committed to amplifying queer voices across all platforms.
“Through our live coverage on ABC TV and ABC iview, Australians across the country can come together to experience the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of our LGBTQIA+ community,” Earle said.
“We are proud to support the queer community and are committed to sharing their stories and voices across all our platforms.”
The coverage will also extend across ABC’s social channels on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, with additional LGBTQIA+ content now available on ABC iview.