Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has announced that Fatboy Slim, PNAU, ELKKA and Griffin Maxwell Brooks will lead the 2027 Mardi Gras PARTY, which is moving underground to a never-before-seen venue TUNNELS: Underneath Allianz Stadium on Saturday 6 March 2027 from 10.00pm.
The first time the space has hosted a dance party, the venue sits right where the 49th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade finishes, so the end of the Parade route is where the rest of the night unfurls.
Mardi Gras PARTY is presented by Bizarro and Kicks Entertainment with local community partners GiRLTHING, Sydney’s longest-running party for lesbian and queer women, and FLASH, one of the city’s most loved gay dance parties, who will each curate a stage. The line-up also features Cat & Calmell [DJ Set], D. Tiffany (CAN), dameeeela, Jaguar (UK), Stereogamous and more across an adult playground of sound, light and performance.
For 2027, the PARTY has been reimagined, digging deeper into the underground dance scene and queer club cultures that built it. A labyrinth of three stages, pulsating dancefloors and hidden spaces will sprawl through the tunnels. Lose yourself in a music-led space of pure self-expression, designed for a community that has come to dance.
Leading the main room is Fatboy Slim, one of electronic music’s most iconic figures, bringing his unmistakable, hedonistic energy to PARTY. Expect his catalogue of era-defining remixes and dancefloor hits honed over decades of performing over 100 Glastonbury sets, to headline stages at Rio Carnival and Coachella, to the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.
Multi-platinum Sydney outfit PNAU come full circle with a DJ set. The duo started out in Sydney’s underground clubs before becoming one of Australia’s most influential electronic acts, having remixed and collaborated with the likes of Troye Sivan and Bebe Rexha, plus Elton John is among their biggest champions.
Breakout duo Cat & Calmell will sling a DJ set dripping with pop and indie sleaze off the back of a support slot for Zara Larsson. Welsh artist and femme culture label head ELKKA brings her slate of ethereal dancefloor gems alongside Griffin Maxwell Brooks, a club kid turned selector from New York’s queer scene.
Down in the tunnels will feature the likes of London DJ, radio presenter and force behind club night and label UTOPIA, Jaguar, local club favourite dameeeela, and American DJ and ballroom/vogue-house icon MikeQ making his grand return to Australia. UK up-and-comer Woody Cook serves high energy and eclectic taste, sharing the line-up with his father, Fatboy Slim.
They’re joined by Canadian producer and underground tastemaker D. Tiffany and DJ Samantha Togni, whose booths have included FOLD in London, BASEMENT in New York, FVTVR in Paris and Berghain in Berlin. Not to be missed is Bogotá-born, Paris-based multidisciplinary artist and NTS resident Bitter Babe, alongside LA-based Australian artist KITO whose extensive high-profile production credits most recently included Lily Allen’s West End Girl.
Closer to home, Eora-based icons Stereogamous are set to bless the main room. Composed of producers, sound stylists and activists Paul Mac and Jonny Seymour, the collaborators draw on years at the centre of Sydney’s queer scene to a joyous set.
Rounding out the line-up is a formidable local contingent spanning hard techno, house, disco, club-ready pop and genre-bending bounce, with Merve, Jarred Baker, Stev Zar, ONARSÉ, Eva Charley, DJ James Queen, Jacqui Cunningham b2b Ellie D, and Rojdar b2b Ryan Marshall.
Above ground, one of PARTY’s best-loved traditions returns. The Mardi Gras Midnight Community Show will take over the Forecourt, with legendary queens, kings, showgirls and dancers from across the LGBTQIA+SB communities bringing this year’s festival theme, HYPERBLOOM, to life.
“HYPERBLOOM is about bringing our communities together, celebrating our differences and creating something extraordinary,” said Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Jesse Matheson. “This year, we’re carrying the energy of the Parade directly into the subterranean depths of Allianz Stadium for a Mardi Gras PARTY unlike any other.”
“It’s a celebration of the artists, DJs and community producers who have shaped our dance floors, bringing generations of our community together in a bold new setting.”
“We’re creating a space for the freedom, connection and collective joy that have always made the Mardi Gras PARTY so special. This is our dance floor, our community and our night to shine, right through until dawn,” said Matheson.
The 2027 Mardi Gras PARTY takes place at the TUNNELS (underneath Allianz Stadium) on Saturday 6 March from 10.00pm. For more information, visit: www.mardigras-party.com.au for details.
Images: 2027 Mardi Gras PARTY (supplied) | Fatboy Slim (supplied) | Jaguar (supplied) | Ryan Marshall (supplied)