Thousands flocked to the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday to celebrate a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras like no other.

While coronavirus could not stop the annual festival, safety restrictions have forced its main event off the streets and into the cities favourite sports ground, allowing up to 23,000 ticket holders to witness the parade from the stands.

Organisers turned the focus away from the traditional large floats this year, favouring instead the outlandish pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props.

There have been showings from all types of organisations and interest groups. From GLAAD to Extinction Rebellion, Amnesty International to the New South Wales Fire Service, all have donned their brightest and best outfits and paraded around the ground in style.

Several of the sports team that make their home at the stadium joined in too.

Pop singer Rita Ora was booked to headline the event and took to the stage in a sequined one-piece draped in a rainbow flag.

While the show went on in the stadium, protesters marched down nearby Oxford Street, where the parade traditionally takes place.

Health officials in New South Wales state agreed to make an exception to the 500-person limit on public gatherings after organisers agreed to take additional measures to combat the coronavirus.

The marchers were protesting against many social issues including transphobia, the mandatory detention of asylum-seekers and the criminalisation of sex work.

Sydney’s Mardi Gras has been running since 1978 when a group of LGBT+ people, now known as the 78ers, then known as the Gay Solidarity Group, gathered on a cold night in June in revelry after a day of liberation marches.

Dozens of protesters were arrested and beaten by police, which organisers said strengthened their determination and brought them back the next year for a week-long festival which eventually led to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as it is celebrated today.

Additional reporting by AP