Update December 17, 2025: Mardi Gras has delayed revealing more details about the official party due the Bondi terrorist attack. However, it has confirmed the space where it will be held, saying the event will be "utilising more of Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter than ever before".
An announcement about the details of the official 2026 Mardi Gras Party could be made as soon as this week.
Responding to a member question about whether Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras had outsourced the party, CEO Jesse Matheson said at its annual general meeting on Saturday (November 29) that the organisation would be "making an announcement about Mardi Gras Party in the next week or so".
"But no, it has not been outsourced," he said. "But we are collaborating with a number of different organisations to bring forward a reimagined Mardi Gras format. I'm really excited to be able to announce it. I think it deserves its moment in the sun. So please stay tuned until next week."
Mardi Gras confirmed at its 2026 program launch that its official all-night flagship party would return next year, but organisers did not reveal where the festival's biggest night would be staged.
The event, commonly referred to as the official Mardi Gras after-party, has most frequently been held at the Hordern Pavilion and surrounding Moore Park precinct.
Growing competition
Long regarded as the centrepiece of Mardi Gras nightlife, the party has in recent years faced rising competition from lower-cost alternatives staged by independent promoters, as well as from concerts.
Speaking about the festival more broadly, Matheson told the AGM that Mardi Gras "must also be transparent about the real challenges the organisation is facing".
"Ticket sales are slowing," he said, adding that people were increasingly purchasing tickets last minute.
"We are seeing demographics shifting. Younger audiences are engaging, which is fantastic, but it also means that our programming must balance legacy expectations with contemporary demand while also competing with a large number of new events."
Matheson said "hard costs" to deliver events had risen by about 10 per cent year on year and that competition had intensified, with more events and concerts scheduled during February and March. That included this year's clash between the Mardi Gras parade and party and the opening night of Kylie Minogue's Tension tour.
"These pressures impact every major festival in our sector," he said. "But for us, they underscore the need for reform, diversification and financial discipline."
To manage slowing sales, Matheson said Mardi Gras activated its new event risk-management strategy in the lead-up to the 2025 festival. The strategy includes mandatory thresholds for ticket sales that trigger specific actions when not met.
"[For the 2025 festival], these thresholds were triggered in December and January, and the strategy was formally activated," he said. "In response, we introduced family packages for Club Cindy, one of our parade-viewing areas, which resulted in a strong uplift in sales.
"We also engaged parade floats, partners and sponsors to support parade-viewing-area ticket sales. These actions contributed to a turnaround of the parade-viewing-area result, generating a $23,000 surplus.
"We also leveraged additional revenue opportunities, including Kylie Minogue buses to get people from the Kylie Minogue concert to our events; fundraising at non-Mardi Gras events, including [at the musical] Titanique; we increased our merchandise sales, and we also sold excess complimentary Laneway tickets.
"We additionally managed our expenditure by not filling roles post-season 2026, ending a number of roles earlier than usual. We also worked to recover excessive security costs. And of course, the biggest, most significant reduction in financial exposure was not continuing with the Bondi Beach Party."
Editor’s note: Journalist Ben Grubb pays $50 annually for Mardi Gras membership to access discounts, including at retail stores and bars, but does not use the membership’s voting rights.
Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: [email protected]
