QMS Partners with Leading Brands to Celebrate Sydney Mardi Gras via City of Sydney Network

As the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival celebrates its 47th year in 2025, QMS has once again teamed up with the event to use its City of Sydney network to amplify messages of love, diversity, inclusion, and self-expression. This long-standing partnership continues to highlight how the outdoor advertising sector can play a crucial role in raising awareness and fostering unity within the LGBTQIA+ community.

A City Transformed for Mardi Gras

Ahead of the highly anticipated Mardi Gras Parade on March 1, the City of Sydney will undergo a colorful transformation, with vibrant outdoor advertising placements across the city's most prominent locations. The campaign will feature dynamic and inclusive advertisements from a host of leading brands, including Absolut, American Express, Uber, Specsavers, NIB, Universal Pictures, and Aami. These brands are showing their full support for the LGBTQIA+ community through their participation in the event and their powerful messaging across the City's digital and traditional outdoor assets.

The Mardi Gras festival kicked off on February 14 and will run until March 2, offering two full weeks of incredible events, celebrations, and performances that honor the LGBTQIA+ community's rich history and continued fight for equality and acceptance. From the opening events to the grand parade itself, the festival provides an unparalleled opportunity for brands to align themselves with a cause that is centered around visibility, respect, and celebration.

Supporting Love, Equality, and Progress

“Mardi Gras is a time of celebration, visibility, and unity, and we are incredibly proud to support our clients in sharing their powerful messages of love, equality, and progress once again,” said Olivia Gotch, QMS’ General Manager for the City of Sydney. Gotch emphasized the importance of the City of Sydney network, which offers brands an exclusive opportunity to connect with diverse audiences in one of the city’s busiest areas during such a high-profile event.

Thanks to its cutting-edge digital out-of-home (DOOH) technology, QMS is able to deliver real-time campaigns that amplify these important messages. With assets strategically placed throughout the city, these campaigns reach large audiences, ensuring the festival’s values are broadcast not only in the city center but across its many surrounding suburbs as well. In a city known for its dynamic energy, the City of Sydney network allows brands to showcase their support in an impactful and visible way.

Breaking Creative Boundaries in Outdoor Advertising

One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s collaboration is the way in which brands are pushing creative boundaries with their outdoor advertising campaigns. The City of Sydney network has provided them with an exceptional platform to tell stories that resonate deeply with the audience. Brands have leveraged the power of creative digital content to engage viewers, promote inclusivity, and send a message of unity and self-expression.

This creative innovation is part of a larger trend where brands are moving beyond traditional advertising methods, using cutting-edge digital tools to create immersive, emotional experiences for the audience. By making use of vivid imagery, interactive elements, and thought-provoking messaging, these brands are able to communicate their commitment to LGBTQIA+ causes in ways that captivate and inspire the public.

“We’re seeing brands go even further this year, stepping outside traditional advertising molds to engage the festival audience with impactful, creative content. It’s about telling meaningful stories that resonate with people, celebrating the diversity of our city and the LGBTQIA+ community,” Gotch explained.

A Growing Audience and Increased Engagement

QMS’ involvement with the Mardi Gras Festival is also having a significant impact on audience engagement, with numbers continuing to rise year after year. According to QMS, last year’s Mardi Gras saw a 20% increase in audience numbers during the festival’s weekends, as well as a remarkable 76% increase in interstate visitation. This surge in attendance highlights the festival’s growing influence and the importance of outdoor advertising in connecting with a diverse range of people.

Oxford Street, one of Sydney's most iconic streets and a key location during the Mardi Gras celebrations, saw an impressive 38% increase in foot traffic across the entire festival. This number rose even further during the nighttime celebrations, with audience numbers increasing by 74%. The strong attendance figures show that the festival continues to attract both local and interstate visitors, proving the relevance and power of this long-running event.

A Privilege to Be Part of the Festival’s Heart

QMS’ partnership with the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival is not just about advertising—it’s about making a statement. The digital and traditional out-of-home placements across the City of Sydney network are an integral part of the festival’s larger message: love, equality, and progress. As Gotch concluded, “It’s a privilege for QMS to support our partner brands with a platform in the heart of the festival celebrations that is committed to showcasing diversity across Sydney, and to the world.”

By continuing to amplify powerful messages of inclusivity, QMS and its partner brands are playing an important role in ensuring the LGBTQIA+ community’s visibility, not just in Sydney but globally. The use of creative, impactful outdoor advertising helps reinforce the festival’s values, showing that the celebration of love and diversity can be witnessed across the city, from the parade floats to the digital billboards that light up the streets.

As the Mardi Gras Festival continues to grow, the role of digital out-of-home advertising will remain central to its success, helping to spread the message of unity and acceptance to larger, more diverse audiences each year. Through these partnerships and the creative use of outdoor advertising, QMS is helping to keep the spirit of Mardi Gras alive, sharing its vital message of equality, progress, and love with the world.

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