Sydney LGBTQIA+ dance festival RAYDIA has cancelled its 2026 return only weeks after tickets went on sale.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras members have narrowly supported a move towards a publicly funded festival, passing the motion by just nine votes in an annual general meeting defined by several tight vote margins and competing visions for the organisation.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras members have elected four directors – three new and one returning – to the charity’s board, ending the election bids of several candidates aligned with both Protect Mardi Gras and Pride in Protest.

Stonewall Hotel’s former co-owners were bought out by the venue’s new American owner using shares valued at $US6 million ($A9.2 million) when the deal to acquire the Sydney gay bar was struck – stock that has since more than doubled in value.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' newly released annual report shows the organisation's previously reported $401,750 surplus for 2025 was achieved largely because of early sponsorship payments from American Express, which recently ended its partnership with the charity mid-contract.

The queer-community party collective Heaps Gay will mark its 12th birthday with a large-scale street party in Marrickville this Saturday (November 29).