Australia’s wildfires seemed an age ago amid the glitz of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, but Saturday’s celebration brought the firefighters who battled them together with climate change activists.

Hundreds of thousands of people cheered on over 200 floats as they rolled through the city’s gay hub, filled with revelers festooned in everything from feathers to body paint.

Firefighters are a common sight in the annual parade, which has been running for over 40 years, but after battling through a “black summer” their presence seemed particularly pointed amid several climate change themed floats.

“It makes me feel very proud actually, it’s amazing to see the turn-out of the members that are here tonight. There’s over 80 of us here today,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service volunteer and parade participant Madelyn Schmidt told AFP.