The Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach and Oxford Street will all be closed temporarily as part of a glittering pride celebration next year which organisers say will be the largest held in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics.
Preparations for WorldPride are taking shape after Sydney won the hosting rights in 2019.
Organisers are planning to take over Greater Sydney with more than 300 events between February 17 and March 5, 2023 and are keen to strike a balance between partying and politics.
The event, which is expected to inject more than $600 million into the NSW economy according to the state government, will include a circuit party at The Domain on February 26, a Bondi Beach party on March 4 and massive opening and closing ceremonies.
Organisers are putting First Nations voices and experiences at the centre of the festival, and a human rights conference will put the spotlight on LGBTQ+ rights in Australia and abroad.
Speaking together for the first time, Sydney WorldPride First Nations creative director Miss Ellaneous, aka Ben Graetz, and co-creative director Dan Clarke said their goal was to make sure the 17-day event had something for everyone.
"It's about making sure there's a space for the queers who want to party, the quiet queers, rainbow families — a real diversity of programming," Mr Clarke said.
The event will be held in conjunction with Sydney's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which is in its 45th year.
The iconic parade will return to Oxford Street next year after the past two events were staged at the Sydney Cricket Ground — the traditional suite of events on surrounding days will be held as usual.
"So get your stilettos, your running shoes and your Beroccas because it's going to be one hell of a party," Mr Graetz said.
It's the first time WorldPride will be held in the Southern Hemisphere, with previous host cities including London and New York.
Australia's bid for the festival put a real focus on celebrating Indigenous culture and won a resounding 60 per cent of the vote, beating Montreal (36 per cent) and Houston (3 per cent).
A First Nations gala at the Sydney Opera House on March 2 is expected to be among the WorldPride highlights.
"That gala will bring together so many incredible First Nations LGBTQIA+ sistergirls and brotherboys in the one space," Mr Graetz said.
Meanwhile, a First Nations Gathering Space at Carriageworks will be the "heart" of the entire festival.
On March 5, Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge will be closed temporarily for a pride march to show solidarity with LGBTQ people across the world.
"This will be such a momentous occasion … it will be a time to remember everyone who has come before us and paved the way for equality," Mr Clarke said.
Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the free march.
There will also be a festival-first women's party after CEO Kate Wickett noticed a lack of events specifically for queer women at previous WorldPrides.
"It's really important for us to provide a space for all women, cis and trans, and people who want to hang out in a women-centred space to get together," Mr Clarke said.
"It will be an immersive, theatrical, dance party, music festival at Sydney Town Hall on March 3.
"That event is really heavily curated by women … it needs to be by women and for women," Mr Graetz said.
The co-creative directors are keen to make sure people are "partying with purpose".
In that vein, the festival will be anchored by a three-day human rights conference at the International Convention Centre between March 1 and 3, featuring prominent advocates and celebrities.
It's hoped the conference will put a spotlight on the fact LGBTQ people don't have equal rights in all countries and map the next steps forward in the pride movement.
"[It will] examine the biggest issues facing our communities across the globe, with a strong focus on the Asia Pacific region," Mr Clarke said.
"We've got to remember that there's over 60 countries in the world where homosexuality is still a criminal offence, so that needs to change."
Tickets for all major WorldPride events will be on sale in July and the full program will be launched in November.
The ABC is the host broadcaster of both WorldPride and Mardi Gras.
