ALIA Blog: 'The Librarians' join Mardi Gras parade

Sydney WorldPride, the first WorldPride festival ever held in the Southern Hemisphere, is underway and on Saturday 25 March ‘The Librarians’ will be marching and dancing in the 2023 Sydney Mardi Gras parade.  The theme for the festival is ‘Gather, Dream, Amplify’ which lends itself beautifully to the work of libraries.

ALIA Rainbow Convenor, Corinna Pierce, has been working and planning for months to bring the ALIA entry to fruition and over the past weeks, activity has ramped up. Costumes are being organised, props have been crafted, trucks with neon lights secured, and dance moves practiced.  Participants have met up to learn their unique parade dance in Hyde Park and at Burwood Library, to the delight of passers-by.

‘The Librarians’ are using this opportunity to myth-bust the librarian stereotype and will be dancing to a mix track of Björk’s ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’, shushing the crowd before breaking out into their fabulous ‘amplified’ dance.

Libraries around the country are joining in with events and displays, including State Library of NSW’s incredible new exhibition Pride (R)evolution.

Featured from left to right: School librarian Courtney Nolan-McLeod and City of Sydney Libraries' Natasha Aldrich.

“I am so proud that ALIA once again has a float in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade" said ALIA CEO Cathie Warburton. "It represents the best of libraries – diversity, inclusion, creativity and learning – and a place where everyone can be seen and heard. Whoever you are and wherever you come from – you are welcome in the library. It’s as simple as that."