The 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is set to sparkle and shine on SBS on Sunday 6 March, as the broadcaster beams all the action and colour from the streets of Sydney into lounge rooms across Australia.
Attending her very first Mardi Gras, TV personality Faustina (Fuzzy) Agolley, joins comedians Magda Szubanski and Tom Ballard, alongside The Feed’s Patrick Abboud, as the hosts for this year’s broadcast.
“I’m thrilled to be part of SBS’s coverage of this year’s Mardi Gras,” says Agolley. “It’ll be my first time attending and co-hosting this world-renowned event. I can’t wait to be there and celebrate inclusion for all.”
Magda Szubanski said she’s back to co-host and lend her support to the vibrant and historically important event. “It is a wonderful, inclusive and creative celebration of this nation’s sexual and cultural diversity,” says Szubanski. “Values we can all be proud of. Gay, straight, and everything in between; all are welcome!”
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “At SBS we’re incredibly proud to be broadcasting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras yet again, bringing the colourful streets of Sydney into homes across Australia. Mardi Gras is a celebration of the LGBTQI community, which is an absolute acknowledgment of one of SBS’s core purposes – to explore, appreciate and celebrate diversity, all of which contributes to a more cohesive society.”
“We are thrilled to have the wonderfully talented Faustina Agolley joining our already established fantastic panel of hosts, with returning hosts Magda Szubanski, Tom Ballard and Patrick Abboud all a part of this year’s celebration and honoured that she is sharing her very first Mardi Gras with SBS.”
This year is set to be the biggest ever with more than 12,000 participants across 170 floats. The TV broadcast will include the best of the spectacular floats and costumes in the parade with commentary from Magda Szubanski, Faustina Agolley, Tom Ballard and Patrick Abboud live on the streets, as well as interviews with celebrity guests. The coverage will also include stories from the parade participants exploring the messages behind the floats, covering issues of sexuality, equality and discrimination that affect the LGBTQI community.
SBS will also get in on the festivities with its very own float in the and SBS Radio 3 will join forces with Australia’s only gay & lesbian radio station, JOY 94.9 for a Mardi Gras weekend simulcast on digital radio and digital television around Australia – including live coverage of the Mardi Gras parade streamed live online on Saturday 5 March at: www.sbs.com.au/mardigras. Viewer tweets will be displayed on screen throughout the television and online broadcasts, using the official event hashtag: #sydneymardigras.
The 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be broadcast on SBS, Sunday 6 March – 8.30pm. For more information, visit: www.sbs.com.au/mardigras for details.
Image: Mardi Gras hosts Faustina Agolley, Tom Ballard, Magda Szubanski and Patrick Abboud – courtesy of SBS