Kylie Minogue has announced her 2025 Tension tour, which will kick off in Australia, but it’s the Sydney dates that could leave fans facing a big decision.
The tour kicks off in Perth on February 15, before stopping in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and concluding in Sydney on March 1 and 2.
If those dates seem familiar, it’s because they coincide with the Mardi Gras parade, official after-party, and Sunday Mardi Gras events like Laneway.
This isn’t the first time a major pop star has clashed with Mardi Gras festivities. Taylor Swift famously overlapped with the Bondi Beach Party in 2024. However, Minogue’s deep connection with the LGBTQIA+ community and her past involvement in Mardi Gras make this scheduling decision noteworthy.
Frontier Touring, which is producing the tour, told Gay Sydney News that it was aware of the conflict, which is why it announced two dates upfront to allow fans to have “the best of both worlds”.
“Kylie’s concert routing was locked in some months ago and an incredibly high volume of concerts through this time period and Kylie’s international availability meant the only option was to proceed on these dates in Sydney,” Frontier Touring said.
“Conscious that fans would want to attend both Mardi Gras Parade and Kylie’s concert, the decision was made to add two dates upfront to allow Kylie’s fans the best of both worlds.”
The timing of the Saturday concert makes it almost impossible for Minogue to appear at the parade, which starts at 6pm, though rumours persist every year about a surprise appearance at the after-party.
Mardi Gras would not comment on the official after-party music line-up but expressed excitement for the March weekend.
“Kylie and the Parade in one weekend? It doesn’t get bigger than this! Between the Parade, Kylie’s concert, and the other Mardi Gras events that weekend, it’s packed with everything you could want,” it said.
Mardi Gras also reassured fans that it’s possible to fit it all in and reminded them that there’s a full calendar of Mardi Gras events to look forward to.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint… and we’ve got a whole calendar of Mardi Gras magic coming very soon,” it said.
A poll conducted by the popular Progress Shark Instagram account revealed that, at the time of writing, 39 per cent of respondents said they were heading to Minogue’s concert, 30 per cent to Mardi Gras, and 22 per cent planned to attend both.
Minogue’s tour will follow the release of her upcoming album, Tension II, a self-described “high octane, high energy” sequel to her chart-topping Tension. The album will drop on October 18, with the lead single Lights, Camera, Action being released on September 27.
“I am beyond excited to announce the TENSION TOUR 2025. I can’t wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more,” Minogue said.
“It’s been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action … and there will be a whole lot of Padaming!”
General member tickets will go on sale on October 2.
Gay Sydney News reporter