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Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a major road event?

As Sydney recovers from another Mardi Gras hangover, a group of traffic experts is already planning road closures and logistics for next year's event.

"We'll debrief from an event the next day, and then start planning the next year's event straight away," says Brendan McNally, senior major events planner at the Transport Management Centre.

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The centre is responsible for managing traffic flows at all major events in Sydney, from last week's parade to the Sydney Marathon and City2Surf.

It coordinates the efforts of all the interested parties in a big event, from the event organisers to NSW Police and emergency services, the State Transit Authority, RailCorp and Sydney Ferries.

"Beyond that, it's basically anyone who has an interest, and depending on the location the negotiations could include the City of Sydney council, Centennial Park, the Royal Botanical Gardens, or the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority,"Police Inspector Paul Carrett from the State Planning Unit says.

With this year's Mardi Gras attracting 9000 people in the actual parade, roughly 1000 volunteers, and an estimated 150,000 spectators, the potential for something to going pear-shaped is obvious.

The Mardi Gras Parade has followed the same route for decades, but the details of the road closures around the route are always up for consideration.

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Anatomy of a road closure