The theme of Mardis Gras 2025 was the poignant ‘Free to be’. It serves as a manifesto to embrace and rejoice not only individuality but the wider LGBTQIA+ community. After all, is there anything more freeing than finding yourself and finding your people?
In the spirit of this year’s event, we’re looking back at the freedom that comes with one’s first Mardi Gras—the joy, the love, the awe, the belonging—with the stars of Drag Race Down Under. More importantly, why the true purpose of Mardi Gras as a protest, is more important in 2025 than ever.
Before kicking off their national tour, Max Drag Queen, Lazy Susan and Vybe, re-live their first Mardi Gras experience with us and discuss the importance of advocating for the community.
Marie Claire: What do you remember about your first Mardi Gras?
Lazy Susan: “I remember being struck by the sheer scale of it all—it was massive. I don’t think I fully understood that it was a celebration that took over everything, transforming the entire energy of the city. I had never seen so many queer people in one place at one time—it was electric.”
Vybe: “I was 17. I had snuck out with a group of friends and we all escaped to the city for the first time because we wanted to see what all the fuss was about! I had already come out of the closet by this stage and all I wanted was to see it for myself. It was unbelievable, like a gay fantasy come to life! Not just the colours, the glitter or the gorgeous men, women and people but you could feel the love and community in the air.”
Max Drag Queen: “18 year old Max was out of drag with their first group of queer friends. Seeing thousands of queer people celebrating their queerness, everyone dancing, drag queens performing… I was finding glitter everywhere for the following weeks!”
MC: How would you describe the feeling of your first Mardi Gras?
LS: “I was in the middle of huge crowds of revellers—high energy, absolute chaos—and yet, I felt entirely calm. It wasn’t until after I had left Mardi Gras that I realized the root of that feeling. As a gay person, I spend my life subconsciously monitoring my surroundings for potential threats. You learn to pre-empt and avoid dangerous situations. During that first Mardi Gras, that sense of calm was actually the feeling of being safe in a large group of people—allowing that hyper-awareness to shut off, even just for a moment.”
V: “It was like coming home after a long trip away. I instantly felt connected to a community that was so much bigger than little old me! Being able to see for myself how celebrated people were just for being themselves, being as visibly queer as possible and knowing that every soul in that moment was there just for the purpose of standing by each other and lifting each other up was something I will never forget.”
MDQ: “Liberating. I remember feeling so unbelievably happy that this was my life and this is my community. It was also an overwhelming feeling getting to experience something so historically important to the Australian queer community.”
MC: In 2025, it feels like Mardi Gras is more important than ever…
LS: “While a party is always a fabulous thing, Mardi Gras is, at its core, a protest. Watching the rise of radical conservative agendas—both domestically and around the world—has made Mardi Gras an essential act of resistance in protecting our community. I love that Mardi Gras is a moment to remind our country that we are here, we are part of this society, and we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
V: “Each day it seems like we are losing some of the progress that has been made over the past 50 to 60 years both locally and globally. We can not afford to go backwards. We have had a steep rise in violent homophobic attacks in our community, with the most recent just a few weeks ago on Oxford Street. Until we are safe in every street, we need to continue to march on ours.”
MDQ: “Mardi Gras and Pride events are just as important today as they were when first started. I love that we have community, history, acceptance, solidarity and love. We are going to continue being proud to celebrate it!”
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