The 2026 First Nations Mardi Gras After Party.

We are thrilled to present the 2026 First Nations Mardi Gras After Party.

This year’s celebration of Blak Queer excellence will be at the Loft at UTS.

The night will kick off at 8:00pm with festivities continuing until 2:00am.

LINE UP

Hosted by Nova Gina: Nova Gina hails from Dunghutti Country with Barkendji & Nyampia ties. She was a founding member of the trio Dreamtime Divaz where she began her career 11 years ago. Nova was the cover girl for the famous documentary Black Divaz where it received rave reviews for the Queer Screen Film Festivals that went global. She has performed nationally for events such as Alice Springs Pride Carnivale, Cairns Pride as well as gigs in Melbourne, Geraldton in WA and right here on Gadigal Country. She loves, respects & appreciates her black queer family including friends & allies. Nova has been living on Bundjalung Country for 5 years but is always happy and excited whenever she visits Sydney & various places to catch up with family & friends. She is an ambassador for LGBTQIA+ 🏳️‍🌈 teens and youth in the promotion, awareness & (hopeful) prevention of suicide. Proud with no ego. Sass without malice. Genuine. Considerate. Loving & friendly.

Bow and Arrow: Bow and Arrow is a Contemporary First Nations (Wiradjuri/Gamilaraay/Walgalu/Ngunawal) avant-indie trio based on Gadigal land.

They fuse modern and Traditional instruments which create a unique sound and notable rare live experience. You can expect monster vocals, big rhythms and electro beats, live sampling and looping and the traditional languages of the Wiradjuri and Gamilaraay peoples.

"They treat the audience to a unique live show... it was a very esoteric experience"  ABC NATIONAL "Unbridled musical talent abound, it was dazzling and strange in the best kind of way"  HOWL AND ECHOES They've played many major festivals throughout Australia including Parrtjima, Homeground, Byron Bay Blues Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Boomerang Festival, Spirit Festival, Bigsound, Blaksound, Giiyong Festival and SXSW Opening Concert and major venues like The Factory, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Parliament House and The Australian Museum for their Ngalu Warrawi Marri (We Stand Strong) and Australia's First People exhibition. 

They have performed at The Sydney Opera House every year and garnered the nickname as 'The Sydney Opera House House Band' for 'Badu Gili' and they also did an extremely rare live from the Joan Sutherland Opera Theatre performance during lockdown for their 'Our House To Yours' digital special. They've also performed live on NITV many times with the Jan 26 'Sunrise Ceremony' (NITV and Channel 10 and broadcasted internationally to NZ and Canada) delivering their blues version of Archie Roach classic 'A Child Was Born Here' and a performance of their single '7 FORCES' on Big Mob Brekky being highlights. 

Check out their new single 'TRIAD' available on all platforms. AMPLIFY THE NOISE said  ‘With “Triad,” Bow and Arrow takes their signature electro-soul to new heights.  Electrifying as the artwork itself, the song is steeped in grooves and desire.  That flirty onstage presence I witnessed at SXSW Sydney is wonderfully captured  in the seductive beats and Mindy’s sultry vocals.  Exuding a confident sexuality, “Triad” radiates with sensuous charisma and steamy charm.’ Connect with them on instagram @bowandarrowland

Gigi Blak: Gigi Blak is the sultry, sex-on-legs Wiradjuri niece of Sydney. Equal parts temptation and truth-teller, she knows exactly what you need and delivers it, whilst looking 10x lubly. She is glamour with intent, desire with politics, and beauty that refuses to be ignored. 

Tiddalicious: From the ngurambang of the Wiradjuri, where rivers run strong and stories run deep, Tiddalicious rises. Based on Dharug Ngurra (Western Sydney) comes a deadly Wiradjuri DJ duo made up of Zenae and Wandaiyalle, Tiddalicious is more than music, it’s a movement. Each set is a powerful blend of rhythm, truth, and resistance, weaving culture, community, and storytelling into every set. Born from a desire to honour, celebrate, and uplift women, Tiddalicious creates space for liberation, strength, and unapologetic sisterhood. Their sound carries sovereignty past, present, and future, moving generations while keeping culture loud, proud, and alive. This is sound as sovereignty. This is music as movement. This is Tiddalicious.  Follow the journey. Feel the beats. Stand with the story.

DJ Silver B: DJ Silver b has been playing funky disco house dance music all on vinyl from the 1990’s onwards. His specialty is performing 6-hour-long sets, seamlessly beat-mixing high-energy classic dance floor tracks all night long. Lock in for a late night session with DJ Silver B.

Black Pearl: Black Pearl has come all the way from Wellington New Zealand to offer her sparkle and perform tonight, and to celebrate indigenous aroha (love) and unity. Black Pearl is a Māori Queen who lived in Paddington Kings Cross in the mid 1990s, and enjoyed the nightlife of Oxford Street, often found in dark spaces in the Taxi club and relished the generous advice of the late Queen Carmen Rupe. It is rumoured that Black Pearl is the is original 501 deportee, but Black Pearl says ‘my only crime was loving nature, as the original Whale Ryder movie was based on her life, and says, my passion is to free willie all day, everyday!' Black Pearl will be singing ‘Carry On’ by Martha Walsh……