QMS has reported strong audience growth across its City of Sydney digital street furniture network during the 2026 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.
Across the network, audiences increased 9% during the festival period, with interstate audiences jumping 16%, highlighting the event’s growing national appeal.
The Oxford Street precinct, the centre of Mardi Gras celebrations, delivered some of the strongest results.
Audience numbers across the precinct were up 23% during the festival, while evening audiences surged 58% on parade night.
Interstate audiences in the area also rose sharply, up 31% on parade day, with visitors from Queensland and Victoria leading the influx.
Growth across the city
The uplift extended beyond the parade route, with multiple suburbs across the QMS network recording strong audience gains.
Newtown led the growth with a 46% increase, followed by Chippendale, Glebe and Ultimo, each up 13%. Camperdown and Redfern recorded 11% increases, while Waterloo, Erskineville, the Sydney CBD and Alexandria each saw 8% growth.
Brands tap into scale
QMS used the festival to showcase campaigns from brands including Westpac, Pernod Ricard, Belvedere and Up, leveraging the scale of crowds across its premium network.
Olivia Gotch
Olivia Gotch, General Manager, City of Sydney at QMS, said the results reinforce the event’s cultural and commercial impact.
“Mardi Gras continues to prove its power as one of Australia’s most significant cultural events. The audience numbers we saw this year confirm that the festival draws enormous crowds not just to the parade route but across the entire city,” Gotch said.
“We’re also seeing the festival’s interstate reach expand year on year, which is a further signal of Sydney’s standing as a global LGBTQ+ cultural destination.”
OOH scale in focus
Gotch added that the network’s reach makes it a valuable platform for advertisers during major cultural moments.
“For advertisers, that means the network can ensure their brand will reach and connect with genuine audiences at scale,” she said.
The results were based on DSpark Mobility Data, comparing audience delivery during the festival period against the previous three weeks.
Top Image: QMS