Amid grief and anger, Mardi Gras spirits still soared

They speak of a “WorldPride curse” that follows the biennial LGBTQ festival around the world. Whichever city is lucky enough to host it one year – in 2023, the winner was Sydney – has a dud local Pride the next.

Two weeks ago, it seemed like the curse might be real, with asbestos-laden mulch forcing the cancellation of Mardi Gras’ beloved opening event, Fair Day, and event tickets selling slowly amid the cost-of-living crunch.

Then it all got much, much worse.

Make no mistake – for many in Sydney’s LGBTQ community, this was a Mardi Gras spent in mourning. Jesse Baird and Luke Davies embodied so much of what this event means – love, joy, spirit. Celebrating in their absence – so raw the grief, so fresh the sadness and the anger – seemed almost wrong.

The show had to go on, of course. Baird and Davies would have wanted it to. And in their own special way, they were the shining stars of Mardi Gras 2024.

The Dykes on Bikes – protectors, stalwarts, legends of the LGBTQ community – led the tributes, pausing at Taylor Square to usher in a minute’s silence for the couple. We are used to seeing them storm through, horns blaring, arms waving, smiling their naughty smiles – but for a moment, they stood still, the music cut, while we stopped to remember.

It was hard to forget Baird and Davies throughout. Each beaming smile reminded you of theirs; so did every sway and shimmy as the thousands of beautiful people danced their way up Oxford Street.

Qantas paid tribute to their much-loved employee Davies, emblazoning the front of a makeshift jet with his name. One of his last flights had been to Singapore, where he took care of an elderly passenger with dementia to such an extent that it brought his crewmates to tears.

There were other tributes dotted throughout, too: the We Are Family float led their signs with a poster for Baird and Davies.

When the rain started to fall, it felt almost inevitable. Of course, it would rain on our parade this year. But it was a brief shower, in the end; quicker to dry than our tears for Baird and Davies will, though they eventually must. If there is one thing the LBGTQ community knows, it’s that it does get better.

At Taylor Square, the NSW Police float – with most officers marching in plain clothes, as per agreement with organisers – was greeted with loud and sustained applause, arguably more than previous years. Some watched on stony-faced, yes, but there were no heckles to be heard from here.

Many felt it would have been jarring to see police in uniform clapped and cheered so soon after the horrific events of the past fortnight. In the end, the plain clothes compromise felt like a nice touch: a nod towards a better future after a horror to which there can be no right answer, no definitive response.

You wouldn’t write the script that this Mardi Gras has been saddled with. You would say “no thanks” and send it back for major edits. You would shred it into a thousand pieces and burn it.

But haunted by tragedy, it glowed with hope and resilience. For that is the meaning of Mardi Gras.

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