Sydney- With World Youth Day over and done with, it’s time for topless pole dancing, strip poker and a world record number of female orgasms.

Just days after Pope Benedict XVI blessed hundreds of thousands of devoted Catholic pilgrims at Randwick Racecourse, sin has returned to Sydney with Sexpo set to celebrate the city’s carnal side.

Organisers of the event, which opened on Thursday at the Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries, hope to attract a record crowd of 55,000 over four days.

Aside from the usual colourful melange of vibrators, candy undies, fluffy handcuffs, kinky boots and nurses outfits – as well as helpful advice on safe sex and sexual problems – there is plenty of opportunity for active participation.

Female attendees are even offered a free orgasm.

With the help of three pink, knobby, vibrating chairs, Sex Machines Australia will be totting up the number of (fully-clothed) women who orgasm on their electronic scoreboard, or “orgasm counter”.

The score to beat is 172, which was achieved over four days at the Brisbane event and has set in motion a contest dubbed the “new State of Origin”.

The machine attracts women from 18 through to 70, according to Sex Machines Australia.

And the success rate is high.

“If the girl wants to have an orgasm, probably 95 per cent will,” said Stuart, who works on the stall.

“Some girls won’t let themselves go … but if we can get the girl to sit on it, close her eyes and relax for a minute, they’ll orgasm … one girl in Brisbane got up to about 10.”

Another attraction gaining popularity is the strip poker tournament.

The winning player receives a $20 Sexpo voucher and if they get naked they get a goody bag.

So do people often play until they’re naked?

“In Brisbane, they were only allowed to get down to their undies,” said the croupier.

“But in Melbourne it was great. Heaps of people got naked.”

Then there is the Sexpo show, hosted by Penthouse pin-up Arianna, which will feature dancers on new aerial apparatus to offer an erotic alternative to the Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion across the road.

Any remaining World Youth Day pilgrims in Sydney shouldn’t feel shunted by the debauchery though.

They get half price tickets into the event and the chance to take confession, unfortunately not to the Pope, but to top international porn stars.

“It would be fantastic to hear their confessions,” said porn star Belladonna from Los Angeles, who has been touring Australia for 12 months with Sexpo.

“We all know the sins are there,” she added. “And we wanted to give something back to the Pope.”

Tim Patch, aka Pricasso, has also paid a papal tribute.

Using just his penis, he has created a colourful painting of the Pope at Sydney Harbour, clad in his robes and draped by two sexy, bikini-clad women.

“It’s a collage of everything that happened (for World Youth Day),” said Patch, who will be on hand to paint portraits throughout the event.

“The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Pope on his vacation … he’s only human. I’m sure he thinks about this sort of thing.”