Sydney celebrates inclusion in Mardi Gras parade

Thousands of revellers danced through Sydney on Saturday for the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade, transforming the Australian city into a vibrant sea of colour and costumes.

More than 10,000 people -- many of them painted in glitter makeup -- and 180 floats rolled down a packed Oxford Street, lighting up the vibrant heart of Sydney's scene. Mardi Gras is a highlight of the city's social calendar, with this year's theme "free to be", celebrating freedom, authenticity, and the right to live openly and proudly.