Although the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras might look a little different this year, the event aims to be as characteristically fabulous as its previous iterations and in partnership with JCDecaux will be paying homage to its spiritual home of Oxford Street with a campaign designed to continue bringing the sparkle to Sydney.
Honouring the wonderfully glamourous wigs of drag queens known to adorn both footpath and float, JCDecaux’s Creative Solutions team has created a large-scale special build installation – a giant rainbow wig – located on a panel in the parade’s Oxford Street home. As an iconic feature of an even more iconic festival and parade, the hairpiece has been designed to recognise the significant impact that the event has for the LGBTQI+ community, maintaining the same sense of inclusiveness that the area has become known for.
The larger-than-life special build extends the creative out the top of the advertising panel and is just part of JCDecaux’s celebration of the Mardi Gras festival, which also includes a dynamic digital campaign across its large-format screens, offering a daily countdown to the parade.
This year’s Mardi Gras will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with more than 5,000 Parade participants from more than 100 LGBTQI+ community groups set to perform to a stadium audience.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO, Albert Kruger, said: “While we can’t hold our Parade on Oxford Street this year, JCDecaux are making sure our spiritual home of Oxford Street remains an exciting space to visit, especially around Taylor Square, completing our campaign with outrageous wigs and digital countdowns to Parade day. This valued partnership has allowed us to connect with LGBTQI+ people at a time when many of us have experienced feelings of isolation, which is so important for the community after the last 12 months.”
JCDecaux Head of Creative Solutions, Ashley Taylor, said: “Mardi Gras is not just about the Parade – although it’s certainly a wonderful part! It is about the recognition of the viewpoints, narratives and diversity of the LGBTQI+ community. As long-standing supporters of the event, we proudly welcome the ability for all to have their stories heard, and drive awareness of the depth and array of diversity within our communities through the humour of the wig.
“Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras have done such an amazing job to create stunning artwork that captures the heart of the event. We’re thrilled to yet again contribute to creating an air of excitement in the city in the lead-up to the Parade through some dynamic digital executions, as well as add that show stopping moment for audiences to engage with.”
The 43rd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be held on March 6.
The wig installation will be located on a panel on Oxford Street, near Taylor Square, until March 7.