10 WorldPride and Mardi Gras catering ideas for 2023

From rainbow sushi to colourful cupcakes, here are 10 ways to show your pride with Mardi Gras food and dessert catering.

It's 2023 and this isn't just any old Mardi Gras celebration.

This year, Sydney will be transformed into a Rainbow City this February as it plays host to WorldPride.

From floral installations to rainbow-painted streets, illuminated fountains to the city's most colourful murals, it's not just bars, clubs and other party venues participating Mardi Gras.

“It is so exciting to see organisations of all kinds across Sydney – from public institutions to businesses – embrace WorldPride in such a positive way," says Sydney WorldPride Chief Executive, Kate Wickett, on the WorldPride website.

Plenty of restaurants, cafes and catering companies will be cooking up a storm to help businesses support the LGBTQAI+ community both inside their office and out.

What kind of food is eaten on Mardi Gras?

Australia's Mardi Gras celebrations aren't focused on food, but there's no reason it shouldn't be!

Food is a great way to bring people together, whether it's with items that are culturally significant, traditional of a specific region or are just plain delicous.

The rainbow flag, and other variations of it, has become a symbol of the LGBTQAI+ community and to show support, and rainbow food items have become unofficial menu items in the weeks leading up to the parade.

10 foods ideas to eat at the office for Mardi Gras

From appetisers to desserts, here's some inspiration for what to order for your office's Mardi Gras festivities.

Sushi

Of course there's dozens of colourful sushi roll varieties that offer colourful toppings and fillings. But, today, the rainbow roll truly stands out.

While many sushi bars and restaurants have their own spin on the roll, usually its made up of multiple types of fish, including tuna, salmon and crab along with avocado, cucumber or any other colourful ingredients that can give it a rainbow-like appearance.

Sushi platters with a selection of rolls is also a great way to provide meals for a crowd.

Where to order it:

Sushi at Work (Melbourne) offers half a dozen sushi platters, including a Deluxe Rainbow Sushi and Sashimi Platter" that's perfect for Mardi Gras!

Sushi Pro (Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) serves up platters of sashimi and sushi, with vegetarian options available.

Sliders

As much as we like sweets and cupcakes, we're loving the creative ways caterers are bringing colour to main dishes and savoury items and sliders are a great example of that.

While all recipes are different, we've seen colourful buns used and a range of fillings to brighten up the dish.

Where to order it:

The Catering Department (Sydney) will create these baby burgers filled with chicken, roast vegetables and prawns

Drinks

Is it even a celebration without a bevvy or two?

Treat the team to some colourful cocktails or stick to the basics with wine and beer.

This year, Shorty's Liquor is even offering a special range of drinks curated just for World Pride 2023. The best part? 100% of the proceeds are going toward The Pride Foundation Australia. Choose from prosecco, rose, pale ale and a seltzer, or opt for a non-alcoholid sauvignon blanc.

Where to order it:

Shorty's Liquor (Melbourne or Sydney) can deliver drinks with proceeds being donated.

Vintage Cellars (Across Australia) serves up a huge range of drinks, including spirits, beers, wine and ciders, that are sure to appeal to anyone's taste.

Fruit

One of the simplest but most effective ideas on this list is the humble fruit platter. It's peak summer here in Australia and that means fresh, seasonal fruit is widely available, delicious and at its most affordable.

Serve a colourful display of fresh, seasonal fruit as a platter or  skewered for easy, individual portions.

Where to order it:

SevenOaks (Perth) serves up oh-so-adorable rainbow fruit skewers.

The Catering Department (Sydney) is serving up summer fruit platters complete with melon, berries, grapes and stone fruits.

Bagels

An instagram hit, freshly baked rainbow bagels are a great way to show your colours without serving yet another dessert.  (Unless you want to sweeten them up with sweet toppings... We're not here to stop you!).

Where to order it:

Charlie and Franks (Sydney) serve them up as sandwiches with egg and bacon or egg, spinach and goats cheese.

Rainbow layered-cake

The first of many desserts on this list, just about every slice of this cake creates the perfect rainbow flag and offers layer after layer of deliciousness.

Where to order it:

Cakes2U dishes up an impressive six-layered vanilla sponge cake that's topped with a cream cheese butter icing.

Cupcakes

Always a winner, these individual sized cakes are the perfect canvases to design in celebration of any event. And, there's tonnes of bakeries and cafes who just love to prepare rainbow cupcake designs.

Where to order it:

Vanilla Cupcakery (Sydney) bakes fresh chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cupcakes topped with rainbow icing.

Sweet On Cupcakes (Perth) offers multiple options that are perfect for the occasion. Choose from boxes of mini- and regular-size pride-themed cupcakes topped with sprinkles and lollies, or rainbow-topped Mardi Gras-themed cupcakes.

Cakes2U (Sydney) offers chocolate and vanilla swirl cupcakes with multi-coloured cream cheese icing.

The Catering Department (Sydney) is serving up colourful individual mud cakes.

Cookies and Macarons

Like cupcakes, cookies offer a great blank canvas for goodies to serve for events.

Whether you're looking for a rainbow design or are hoping to print out your company's Mardi Gras-themed logo, here's where you can do it.

For a gluten-free option, a selection of colourful macarons create the perfect alternative.

Where to order it:

Wilton's Cookies' (Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney) Dotty Treasures are packed with colourful smarties.

Makmak (Sydney) offers a collection of decadent macarons in just about every colour and flavour you can think of, from matcha to salted caramel to pandan to fairy bread.

Fairy Bread

There's something oh-so-comforting about childhood snack foods and this one just screams Australia. Covered in rainbow-hued hundreds and thousands, these easy-to-make sweet treat really nail the WorldPride-comes-down-under theme if you're on a tight budget.

New Orleans-themed feast

Outside Australia, New Orleans' Mardi Gras is one of the biggest in the world - but also very different.

It's not just celebrating the LGBTQAI+ community, but rather it's a festival of frivolity, if you will. It's all about the music, parades, picnics and floats, according to the official website and the crowds are adorned with plenty of green, purple and gold.

If you're looking for a theme this year's party to mix things up, why not go with New Orleans?

What to order:

• King cake: A cinnamon roll-like cake that's topped with rich cream cheese icing and colourful sprinkles, usually purple, green and gold
• Jambalaya: A hearty rice fish made with sausage, prawns and plenty of creole and cajun seasoning.
• Beignets: Deep fried pastries that are similar to doughnuts and sprinkled with icing sugar.

A bunch of our caterers are putting on special menus just to celebrate Mardi Gras. And it's not just those in Sydney! All across the country cakes are being baked, chocolate cupcakes are being adorned with rainbow-hued ice cream and drinks that donate proceeds to the Pride Foundation are being poured.

Here's where you can order special menu items (and there's certainly no shortage of freshly baked cupcakes!):

New South Wales:

• Cakes2U: Rainbow layer cakes
• The Catering Department: Coloured sliders, fruit platter, colourful dipswith chips, sweet platter, and cupcakes.
• Charlie and Franks: Rainbow bagel sandwiches with bacon and egg or bacon and egg and spinach
• Makmak: Macaron boxes with a range of flavours and colours
• Vanilla Cupcakery: Chocolate, vanilla or red velvet cupcakes with rainbow icing

Victoria

• Cupcake Central: Love is Love decorated red velvet, Devil's food and vanilla cupcakes
• Sushi at Work: Deluxe rainbow sushi and sashimi platter
• Made by Misty: Chocolate and vanilla rainbow cupcakes

Queensland

• Blackout Coffee and Catering: Rainbow cupcakes

South Australia

• South Terrace Catering: Rainbow cupcakes

Western Australia

• Sweet On Cupcakes: Rainbow cupcakes