Oxtravaganza

Oxtravaganza, the Darlinghurst Fringe Festival celebrating Mardi Gras, is back again for its 8th year. The Oxtravaganza Festival is centred around Oxford St and the Rainbow precinct, but stretches out across Darlo and into Surry Hills and Kings Cross. It will run from the 16 February - 3 March 2024.

Oxtravaganza pulls out all the stops! It’s not unusual to find something happening on Oxford St on any night of the week, but Oxtravaganza and Mardi Gras ramp it up to another level!

There are two weeks of events including Art Exhibitions, an Art Walk, Live Performances, the Darlo Big Drag Brunch, Retail Deals, a dedicated Kids Zone with Storytelling, Face Painting, Kids Goodie Bags and more.

And of course, the finale of Parade Night, a glittering glamorous celebration of our LGBTQIA+ community and the rowdiest party Oxford St gets to host!

Around Darlinghurst a host of businesses put on their sparkle for Oxtravaganza including galleries, restaurants, small bars, pubs, clubs and retailers.

The National Art School, Australian Museum plus a host of smaller galleries in the immediate neighbourhood also host exhibitions.

This year also sees the opening of Qtopia, a hugely anticipated conversion of the old Darlinghurst Police Station into a queer museum and events space. Qtopia will also be programming the Green Park Bandstand and the Taylor Sq sub-station and toilet block (all heritage listed buildings).

All up, there will be around 100 different events across 40 venues in Darlinghurst. Reason enough to start marking your diary now!

Darlo Big Drag Brunch - Weekend 24/25 February. Saturday 2 March. (over 2 weekends) Darlinghurst does Drag Brunch better than anywhere else in Sydney! Join in over 2 weekends as restaurants, bars and cafes will be hosting their own Drag Brunch, not just on Oxford St but right across Darlo. Some venues also offer bottomless every day of the week.

Photo exhibition - 16 Feb till 3 March featuring the “best of Oxtravaganza” from years gone by plus a series of portraits of local faces. Look out for theses amazing pics in the windows of local businesses. You may see a friend or two!

Art in the ‘hood - Check out National Art School and the new Qtopia museum for art and exhibitions, right in the heart of Darlo at Taylor Sq.

Shop till u drop - Retail deals and performance at key stores and galleries. There will be dj’s, discounts, drag queens, giveaways and more.

Family Zone - Saturday 24 February. Drag story time and craft activities for kids and rainbow families. Just a stone’s throw from Oxford St at ESCAC, but less hectic for the little ones. Fairy floss, goodie bags, make-up, stories, painting and more.

The Hubs - 16 February - 3 March. Darlo is a lot more than Oxford St. There are other hubs to be explored like the Rainbow Precinct, Hollywood Quarter, Stanley St, the Glittering Mile, all within a short stroll from Taylor Sq or the CBD.