There was a lot of controversy leading up to the Parade with the dropping of Gay & Lesbian from the title but it didn’t seem to effect how much everyone enjoyed the day.
The weather had been pretty dreadful leading up to the parade and didn’t look too good on the day so I think this caused some of the girls to drop out so the count was a little lower this year. A little bit of rain wasn’t going to bother the rest of us however and in truth it was probably warmer than last year. The bikes were decked out in their usual gear but we added a huge rainbow flag to the back of every bike that could take it.
We also had a new meeting point at Moore Park rather than Tempe. This meant that we all got to have a little more of a sleep in than usual. Some girls who missed having a little pre-parade ride organised their own to get to the new meeting point. Another change was that Mardi Gras had asked us to perform for the Glamstand participants and a some of the girls took the challenge head on. Twelve girls headed out a little early led by Pommie and Tiff and put on a bit of naughtiness to warm the crowd up before the rest of the girls came down and had a chance to get off their bikes and interract with the crowd for the first time.
Then off for our lap of the parade circuit. We had a slight change with the detour down Wentworth Ave to do our u-turn (may find a different way of doing that next year) and back up to the wild acclaim of the crowd. There had been a survey on the Mardi Gras site in the weeks prior to the Parade and Dykes on bikes came up as the favourite regular entry but a ridiculous margin. They like us – they really like us.
As always it’s over far too quickly and then it was back to the Hampshire for drinks and strippers. Thanks to Belle for helping to organise the two lovely ladies who showed their flexibility and throughouly embarrased a number of members. You have to love seeing these tough women fall apart when confronted by a little booty.
No matter what they call it the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Love Parade is still the most fun you can have with 1/4 million people watching you. I’m already planning the outfit for next year.