Members of the youth theatre company Jopuka Productions crew headed down to Sydney to take part in the Mardi Gras 2022 parade, emblazoned in bold and beautiful colours to represent the Central Coast.
The 2022 Mardi Gras theme this year was United We Shine.
Jopuka members come from all over the Coast, from the top end down to the peninsula.
It was their second time marching, celebrating queer identity for both youth theatre and their own theatre company.
Marching with 35 young people, they joined nearly 6,000 participants at a packed SCG that was televised on the ABC and fortunately, given the rains, stayed dry.
Jopuka was featured prominently in the ABC broadcast with Artistic Director Joshua Maxwell being interviewed by Casey Donovan.
Jopuka was not the only Coast crew marching, with two other floats from the region: Coastal Twist Festival/Central Coast Pride and Point Claire Families.
“Mardi Gras is such a celebration of our community, as Jopuka strives to give young people a safe space in the arts to be themselves … Mardi Gras is just another avenue for that,” said Maxwell.
“We can’t wait to march again in 2023 – we’ve already started planning.”
Nicola Riches