Events - Part 67

 Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).  Of course, Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans, but it's also celebrated around the world.  The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia has become one of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, attended by hundreds of thousands of people.

Today we'll look at an "art installation" by Spencer Tunick at the Sydney Opera House on March 1, 2010 that was part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.  Above, a poster for the event.

Spencer Tunick's "art installations" always involve a mass of naked people.  Here's one of the participants on the Opera House steps.  He must have arrived way before everybody else, because eventually there was a huge crowd.

Here's Spencer Tunick, clothed, talking to one of the participants.

Participants start to take their places on the Opera House steps.

Eventually a crowd of 5200 people showed up and got naked.  This was more than twice the expected number of participants.  Above, the iconic Sydney Opera House in the background with the participants, who have been directed to stand at attention.

Now the participants have been directed to raise their arms.

And now they have all been directed to lie down.

Because of the size of the crowd, not everybody could get inside, but some of the participants got to go into the Opera House and were seated.

And then they all headed home, having been part of a memorable experience.