Virgin Blue, one of Mardi Gras’ sponsors this year, will be running a gay themed flight from Melbourne to Sydney to convey passengers to Mardi Gras parade. It will be DJ 857 to be precise, which leaves Melbourne at 3.45pm on Thursday 25 February.

Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said in a statement: “People come in droves to Sydney to take part in the celebrations, especially from Melbourne, so we thought it was a great opportunity to quiff our beehives, break out the sequins and kick off the party early by getting into the spirit of Mardi Gras ‘Priscilla’ style on the journey there.”

Tickets for the flight are $199 one-way, which includes selected refreshments, goodie bags and ‘in-flight’ entertainment by the crew from ‘Leave it to Diva’.

Bookings can be made by calling Blue Holidays on 13 15 16. Seats are limited and only available through Blue Holidays.