The Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras Festival will be back in April 2025 after another successful event in March 2024. Photo: Chris Roe.
The Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras Festival has gone from strength to strength since its post-COVID relaunch in 2022 and organisers are gearing up for an even bigger event in 2025.
Launched in 2019, this will be the fifth time the city has hosted the family-friendly festival that celebrates diversity and equality and fosters a growing sense of community and acceptance in the heart of Wagga.
Festival founder Holly Conroy said her small team was in planning mode and she hoped the community would once again get behind the event.
“People are always surprised when I tell them Wagga Mardi Gras is run entirely by a handful of volunteers, who all have full-time jobs,” Ms Conroy said.
“We’re working year-round seeking sponsors and applying for grants to ensure the event is full of fantastic acts, and is as loud, colourful and inclusive as possible.
“Right now we’re busy preparing for 2025 and as our sponsorships have opened up, we’re asking local businesses and residents to get involved, whether through sponsorship, donations, or volunteering.
“Every bit of support helps us bring this important event to life.”
Mardi Gras founder Holly Conroy says 2025 will be huge. Photo: Chris Roe.
This year’s Mardi Gras was held on 9 March, with thousands of locals and visitors shrugging off the late afternoon summer heat to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Dozens of floats and hundreds of marchers in their brightest and boldest outfits made their way along Baylis Street to the Victory Memorial Gardens before the party kicked on late into the night.
Looking ahead to 2025, the committee agreed to shift the date into early April to avoid another heatwave and a clash with another long-running pride event.
“We want to ensure everyone has a great time and is comfortable, and this year’s parade was a touch warmer than we would have liked,” Holly said in June.
“While we can’t predict the weather, we decided that shifting the date back a few weeks would increase our chances of cooler weather, because we want to create the best possible experience for both participants and spectators.”
Thousands braved the heat to celebrate Mardi Gras in Wagga in 2024. Photo: Chris Roe.
The ChillOut festival in Daylesford in Victoria was established in the 1990s and is one of the biggest and longest-running regional Pride events.
Holly said the move would allow revellers to attend both events.
“Pride events in rural and regional Australia are pretty special and we want to ensure that everyone can attend both events instead of having to choose between them,” she said.
“Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras is a celebration of diversity and community spirit, and with this new date, we can welcome even more people to join in the fun.”
The 2025 Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras Festival is on Saturday 5 April and the team is calling on local businesses and residents to support the event through sponsorships and donations.
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