Melbourne Pride, a Victorian State Government initiative delivered by Australia’s LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural experience Midsumma, will culminate the state-wide celebrations, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Victoria, with a street party in the Gertrude Street Precinct on Sunday February 13.
Acknowledging the courage and resilience of Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ community, the incredible one-day festival will honour the historical occasion. Gertrude and Smith Street will come alive with a celebration of community, featuring a stellar free lineup of performances, music, food and activities, in a celebration and reflection on the 40-year anniversary.
Keep up with the latest in local and Melbourne news and events here.
There’ll be something at Melbourne Pride for all people – plus a plethora of stalls set up across the festival where you can shop for some of the newest and coolest products from local producers.
On the music front, there’ll be two stages, with a very impressive array of performers across a variety of genres. Yorta Yorta woman and educator Deborah Cheetham will dazzle audiences with her operatic soprano, while Aussie electronic icon Alice Ivy will show why she’s one of Melbourne’s most in-demand young acts and a favourite of Triple J.
On top of that, Melbourne Pride will feature music from soul/pop singer-songwriter Vetta Borne, talented up and comer KYVA, phenomenal cabaret performer YUMMY, talented artists All The Queens Men, legendary indie performer Kira Puru, DJ duo Jawbreakers, cabaret performer Reuben Kaye, and the headliners will be the absolutely iconic Electric Fields.
Besides music, there’s no question that Melbourne’s food and drink scene is our other forte. Our many restaurants are often lauded as the world’s best, with Smith and Gertrude undisputed hotspots for some of the best in our state. These will all remain open throughout the festival, providing patrons with some high-class food and drink, complete with a bunch of picnic tables set up across the streets, so you can enjoy the food in comfort.
Some of these shopfronts and purveyors will also be transformed into elements of the festival, including a number of activations and exhibitions supporting Melbourne Pride. There’s even a Melbourne Trader Directory so you can check out who’s involved.
You can also get active yourself at Melbourne Pride, through the Peel Park Precinct activation, where you can enjoy the music of local DJ’s – representing some of Melbourne’s best queer venues – delivered alongside aerobics instructors working up a sweat.
There’ll even be a regional version of events, aptly titled Regional Events. There’ll be some cool happenings in regional spots thanks to Melbourne Pride, bringing queer culture to those areas that otherwise often go without.
These performances will feature drag shows, the Bendigo Queer Film Festival, and events like Celebrating Pride in all Places with Switchboard, which is an amazing event happening on February 6 that supports older queer people who often struggle with isolation, and that’s happening in various spots across Victoria throughout the festival. Elsewhere, Thrive: Queer Voices: Out Loud is an enthralling exhibition of original queer inspired artwork that’ll be happening on February 8 in Castlemaine; and Proudly Here – an intriguing video exhibition that celebrates the LGBTIQA+ trailblazers across so many fields – will be happening on February 13 in Ballarat. There are a heap of cool regional events happening over that period, all of which you can check out here.
Melbourne Pride and Midsumma are really committed to supporting all types of audience members, so if you don’t feel comfortable heading out at the moment, they’re including a livestream of the event, that’ll take place on Midsumma’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
It’s set to be one of Melbourne’s best events all year, one that brings fans of all ages into the city to celebrate queer culture, and enjoy some great music, phenomenal shops, amazing food, and of course many, many amazing people.
View this post on Instagram
There’s no need to book, so check out some more info by visiting the Melbourne Pride website here.
