SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA  --  More than 300,000 people came out to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, making it the biggest parade in the event's history.

150 themed floats and 10,000 people from across Australia and overseas paraded down Oxford Street to Hyde Park in central Sydney to celebrate gay rights, equality, and diversity. The 78ers, the marchers who staged Sydney's first Mardi Gras in 1978, led the procession and drew cheer from spectators along the parade route.

At the official after party, pop singer and humanitarian Cyndi Lauper sang Girls Just Want To Have Fun, while Olivia Newton-John brought down the house when performing her smash hit Xanadu.

Mardi Gras organizer Marcus Bourget told ABC News that Mardi Gras is a big boost for the local economy: "We raise $45 million for the New South Wales economy each year - we're a fully self-funding festival – but the state has not given us a cent."

Below is a video from the big event:

Last update: 03-03-2008 15:35