What can I say? This year Mardi Gras nailed it with one of the most theatrical, colourful Sleaze Balls in recent memory.

The devil is in the detail and this year, it was evident that New Mardi Gras had really put things under the microscope. This party had everything – an awesome theme that the crowd really engaged with, plenty of spaces and choice that catered to everyone, brilliant production values and some of the most impressive, daring and theatrical shows that we’ve seen from Mardi Gras in recent years.

The lighting rig transformed the Hordern into a colourful big top, complete with chandelier and massive bursts of fire. At 1am Toby Allen sang It’s Oh So Quiet flanked by ballerinas, and people didn’t know what to think when he was joined by Nikki Webster as a wind up doll. She burst forth from a caravan and sang a sexed up electro version of Strawberry Kisses and then they both funked out disco style to La Freak. It was pure genius – Nikki’s a performer who captured the entire world’s attention as a little girl – it was such a defining moment for Australia – and now here she is as a young woman belting it out at a gay dance party. It’s this kind of irony that totally goes back to the roots of Mardi Gras – getting a performer to come and perform for us on our terms. It was bold, it was a risk and it worked.

At 4am Dallas Dellaforce, Ashley Swift and Cosima De Vito performed The Greatest Show On Earth. It was an absolute spectacle, kicking off with the Christina Aguilera track Welcome. Surprisingly Cosima brought the house down. She was brilliant – although she could have left the stage with grace at the end of the performance instead of saying, “My new album comes out today!” Shameless!

The Sydney Flaggers show in the Hordern was amazing – the stage was awash in soft colours and watching the dimly lit hoops and flags spinning to the music was absolutely intoxicating.

Vanessa Amorosi absolutely rocked out at the end of the night and sang her new single Kiss Your Mama. It was a great version of the track, and while it was much simpler than her last Mardi Gras show, it was definitely a great note to end on.

This year it was all about the costumes. Project Sleazeway took over the forecourt and there was plenty of stiff competition. People really went to a lot of effort this year with their costuming, and as one reveller said on the night, “I love it when people dress up – it just makes everyone so much more friendly.”

The costumes in all of the shows were nothing short of amazing. Mardi Gras shows have long been the kind of shows that you just can’t see anywhere else – it’s great to say that this was very much the case this year at Sleaze.

Despite only getting about 6000 people through the door, Zirkus 2007 was an outstanding success – it felt sophisticated, diverse and unified. It bodes extremely well for next year’s 30th anniversary. If Zirkus is any indicator, we’re in for one hell of a show.

What did you like? What did you love? What would you do away with? What’s your verdict? Vote now in the forums.

Check out our photo galleries. Photos by Morgan Carpenter here. Photos by Rod Spark here.