SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The streets of Sydney were a rainbow of colour on Saturday night as the biggest ever Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade brought the 2011 festival to a close. The two week festival attracted visitors from all over the world and included films, art, cabaret and parties as well as a talk from Armistead Maupin, comedy from Lily Tomlin and the famous Bondi Beach Drag Races.

The parade is usually led by the Chief of the Parade, a position which has previously been held by Rupert Everett and Margaret Cho, but this year it was led by eight people who organisers say have made a difference in the lives of gay

people. They included Lily Tomlin, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and two Melbourne teenager girls who protested against the ban on gay couples at a school dance.

This year’s festival was a huge success and the organisers are now getting ready for Mardi Gras 2012 and hoping there is less to protest and more to celebrate.