Delayed Mardi Gras

[luckycanuck]

Of course, the Mardi Gras Parade is always delayed, as it's in Lent, Mardi Gras, of course, being the last day before Lent.  Ok, enough theology for tonight.

I'm finally calm enough to catch up and tell everyone how Mardi Gras went.

 

I went up to Sydney with bakerypenguin  and we met the rest of the team when I was convinced to pick up a wife beater (is it offensive to say that?) to wear in the parade.  I also stepped out briefly to meet some friends who had settled into another bar down the street.

In the assembly area we had a walk through some of the other parade entries, which included someone who had built a replica of the Back to the Future car and a gay Jewish group, some of whom wore t-shirts that said "Eat me, I'm kosher."  The assembly area is always a highlight.  You don't get to see any other groups in the parade itself, so it's a chance to see what else is around.

The theme was "The History of the World" and we had put together pictures of American Presidents with rugby related captions.



There was also some choreography done, but I didn't join a rugby club to dance, so I declined to join in with the dancey stuff and spent the parade lifting in a lineout demonstration and interacting with the crowd.  It's fun being a minor celebrity for a while, and it's not often I can walk down the street to applause and photography.  Apparently I have a bit of an exhibitionist streak.  Under normal circumstances I don't, but the atmosphere of the night seems to bring that out.  Overall it's a fun time, and the fact that towards the end of the parade someone in the crowd stuck his hand down my shorts only prompted me to walk away, rather than punch him in the face as I may have done if I wasn't in a good mood.

Afterwards we wound up in a pub near the end of the parade.

There are two straight guys in the above photo.  If you can't guess at least one I will be really annoyed.

We had free entry to the after party, but by the time we got there the queue was enormous and we didn't fancy going in to be subjected to loud music and crowds at that point in the evening, so we headed back up to the Collaroy Castle.

Apparently it is the most non judgemental atmosphere ever.  It's not something I would be up for on a regular basis and it's a bit (or a lot) self indulgent, but it's good to be a part of.  I've only ever seen the parade from the inside.  I've always been in it rather than watching it.