Party hard at Mardi gras

Boys and girls, it's time to don your curlers, feathers, sequins and leather straplets and get ready to descend on central London - for Mardi Gras is upon us. Thousands of gay men and women will come out in the capital this Saturday for what is billed as the largest gay and lesbian festival in Europe, ready to blow their whistles and try to revive 1980s slogans such as 'Two, four, six, eight, is that copper really straight?'

Mardi Gras has its roots in the now-defunct Pride, which, despite ending four years ago, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It's worth remembering July 1 1972, when only a few hundred gays and lesbians marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park, under the gaze of a plethora of police officers. Times change; onlookers cheer rather than jeer now and the drag is so much better. And the event that's become a highlight of the gay calendar will soon be as starry as rival parties in New York and Sydney.

The spectacular, colourful parade kicks off from Hyde Park at noon and passes the Houses Of Parliament before ending in Great Peter Street. Make of it what you will, but the politics are spread pretty thin these days - the age of consent and other battles are won, after all. But consider how long it took and how vocal and deranged the bigots are before becoming too complacent as you flash your glittery shorts and snog your partners.

Afterwards, the party kicks off bigstyle on Hackney Marsh (ooh, mucho glamour!), since proceedings - and, one supposes, the pink pound - have outgrown Finsbury Park. It's three times the size it was, so expect three times the commercial tat. Still, conveniently situated on the Jubilee Line, Hackney Marsh seems ideal: the crowd capacity has been dramatically increased and the whole shebang is open until 10.30pm. Its 'gay town' comes complete with town square, cafe; areas, shopping malls and more bars than any previous event has seen, including cocktail and Champagne lounges.

The four stages and six dance tents on offer will provide a cross-section of musical tastes including handbag pop on the G-A-Y main stage with acts including Westlife, Atomic Kitten, The Human League and Belinda Carlisle all overseen by His Campness Graham Norton and Mayor Ken Livingstone. If that's too many sugary pop acts, indulge the indie kid within at the Popstarz tent headlined by Suede.

Radio One will broadcast live from the outdoor stage with sets from Judge Jules, Tom Stephan and Smokin' Jo (funky US house and garage and tuff tribal grooves). And there's a round-Britain club thing going on too: the London dance tent, hosted by superclub Trade, has Rob Sykes, Guy Williams and Fabio White at the decks, so you're guaranteed some pretty hard tunes to shake your booty to, while other tents offer Paradise Factory (Manchester), Garlands (Liverpool), Federation (Leeds) and Nightingales (Birmingham) and overseas clubs include Amnesia (Ibiza), Queen (Paris) and the worldfamous White Party (Miami).

You will, without a doubt, meet your ex, your current partner's ex and your ex's ex. But if all this seems too much, visit the darlings in the interfaith blessing tent, who will marry you and your partner. Frankly, more people will be rushing to weaken their stomachs in the gravity-defying fun fair, while swishy madams glug away in the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne garden or step into the rarefied world of A-Gays and wannabes in the Shadow Lounge oasis. The £75 pass apparently means you get to eat free food and get a massage in front of the main stage - think first-class air travel (although the hoi polloi may decide to pelt you with cold meat pies, so watch out). We've come a long way: 30 years ago they played spin the bottle as a finale to the day. Now we've got Atomic Kitten. Um, which one do you prefer?

Sat, Mardi Gras, Hackney Marsh E9, 1pm to 10.30pm, £17, £10 concs. Info: 0906 941 8954. Tickets: 0870 9090 490. www.londonmardigras.com Tube/Rail: Stratford