Australia’s Eurovision 2021 representative Montaigne and ‘Eurovision - Australia Decides 2019’ runner-up Electric Fields are joining a superstar line-up of entertainment planned for the 2021 Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 6 March.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the oldest continuously operating LGBTQI+ organisations in Australia. Mardi Gras was built on the foundations laid by early community activists who fought for LGBTQI+ rights in a time of wide-spread, institutionalised oppression and discrimination. From these origins, the annual event has evolved to include a strong focus on celebration while maintaining a commitment to social justice for LGBTQI+ communities.
Montaigne and Electric Fields will be joined by international chart-topping pop star Rita Ora. She will light up the Sydney Cricket Ground with her performance. Transforming the venue into a sparkling showcase of LGBTQI+ culture and community.
Further entertainment on the night will also include G Flip. The entertainment will be presented by TikTok.
In a press release about the event the Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger said:
“The Parade is such a special event for the community. It is a loud, proud and welcoming celebration of community spirit and connectedness.”
“The move to the SCG has presented us with a unique opportunity to add to the spectacle of the Parade with some truly awe-inspiring performances and we are thrilled to have a world-wide superstar in Rita Ora join this once-in-a-lifetime Parade. As always we have a few more surprises in store for the night, so keep an eye out,”
The event has been relocated to the Sydney Cricket Ground due to Covid-19 to maintain social distancing, and will be a ticketed event.
The fun begins at 4pm when gates open to the public. Audiences will be treated to two hours of pre-Parade entertainment featuring renowned local DJs Kitty Glitter and Dan Murphy on the decks. Hosts with the most, Bob Downe and Julie McCrossin will add to the exciting atmosphere with witty banter, historical anecdotes and more than a few laughs, before crossing over to Nell Schofield and Kyle Olsen who’ll voiceover the Parade live.
A very special Welcome to Country curated by Ben Graetz will be performed at 6pm featuring John Leha, singer/songwriter Scott Hunter, plus Koomurri dancers, NAISDA dancers, and Buuja Butterfly dancers.
Then at 6:30pm the crowd will be revved up as the Dykes on Bikes take to the stadium on their hogs to perform a lap, heralding the start of the glittering Parade, led with the First Nations and 78ers floats.
At the end of 2020 and early 2021, both Montaigne and Electric Fields were part of a showcase series called ‘Express Yourself - Queer Discovery’ in a partnership between APRA AMCOS (a music rights organisation) and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The series have been looking for up and coming queer talent across Australia.
In the series there were three showcases in the lead up to Mardi Gras 2021. Performers had to audition in front of quest judges to win the chance to perform at Mardi Gras 2021. Montaigne headlined the first showcase and Electric Fields headlined the second showcase.