Mardi Gras Celebrations Bring Extended Trading Hours For City Venues

The NSW government has announced special event extended trading hours in Sydney to celebrate the 2025 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival.

Extended hours will apply after the iconic Mardi Gras Parade this Saturday 1 March, ensuring the festivities continue beyond Oxford Street into bars, clubs, restaurants, breweries, and live music venues until 2am on Sunday across 17 central Sydney suburbs, from Barangaroo to Centennial Park.

Extensions were also given to eligible venues across inner Sydney and the city’s east until 1am last Sunday, following Ultra Violet, a major event for LGBTQIA+ women on Saturday 22 February.

“Mardi Gras is not the night for an early bedtime, it’s one of the biggest celebrations on Sydney’s calendar and a massive drawcard for visitors, which makes it a very appropriate occasion to push back last drinks” said Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham.

“Extended trading will keep the party going well beyond the parade and give people more time to enjoy everything our city’s vibrant nightlife has to offer.”

Mardi Gras organisers are expecting about 250,000 spectators at the parade on Saturday, with another 10,000 participants marching.

Reviving city nightlife

Part of the Minns Labor Government’s Vibrancy Reforms, the extended hours will ensure that local businesses are able to take advantage of the increased tourism the festival will bring this weekend.

The first round of the reforms took place in December 2023, and included permanently relaxed rules for outdoor dining so venues could make the most of their outdoor space, the end of single noise complaints from shutting down pubs and other licensed venues, and increased incentives for live music and live performance, with two hours extended trading and an 80% reduction in liquor licence fees for licensed venues offering live music and performance.

“The NSW Government is working hard to bring Sydney’s nighttime economy back to life, and extending trading hours during major events is an important part of that effort,” said Graham.