Hundreds of thousands of spectators from all over the world bring Sydney to a standstill as they party alongside the street parade.

This year was the biggest ever with more than 12,000 participants across 175 floats.

The theme for the 38th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is ‘momentum’ – to stand up and be counted, to turn your passion into purpose and become unstoppable.

Both Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten were in attendance.

When Mr Turnbull was asked about the significance of being the first prime minister to attend the event, he said it was something he had always done.

"That's for others to judge, but this is an event that Lucy [his wife] and I have attended for many many years. I think it's a wonderful event in the life of Sydney, and I'm delighted to be here," he told ABC.

Opposition leader Mr Shorten said: "I can promise people, that if Labor is elected at the federal election, within 100 days, we will introduce a law to make marriage equality a reality in Australia."

For the first time, Australian Olympians and Paralympians had their own Mardi Gras float, in an effort to raise awareness about diversity in sport.

If you want to relive the whole event as if you were there, take a look at this live stream below.