The major annual LGBTQIA events in Australia’s largest cities typically last two to three weeks, with the Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney and the Adelaide Feast Festival being the most famous of these. The beloved Melbourne Midsumma Festival, which runs from January 20 to February 10, 2019, attracts tens of thousands of participants from Melbourne’s sizeable LGBTQIA community, from across Australia and increasingly from all the world. The city’s Gay Business Association started the festival in 1988 to celebrate the arts and culture of Melbourne’s queer community.
Midsumma event schedule
Events during Midsumma consist of a wide range of diverse programming, including movies, spoken words, live music, theater, cabaret, comedies, community group meetings, sporting events, and visual arts exhibits. Festival organizers classify the many gatherings during Midsumma into Exclusive Events, including Midsumma Carnival, Midsumma Pride March, and Midsumma Horizon to close out the festival. A much longer list of events billed as Midsumma Presents includes First Nations Pride, a Youth Spectacular, and an exploration of queer technology.
You can get a detailed list of what’s going on throughout the festival by checking the official Midsumma Melbourne festival schedule.
Midsumma Carnival, “considered the most fabulous queer holiday,” kicks off the festivities with a family community day at Alexandra Gardens followed by a T-dance in the evening. The Annual Victoria Pride March on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda encourages the LGBTQIA community to “mobilize against marginalization.” The march ends with an after-pride party at Catani Gardens in the charming bayside community of St Kilda, one of Melbourne’s most gay-popular neighborhoods. Midsumma Horizon, at the State Library of Victoria, celebrates the creators of queer culture: past, present and future.
Midsumma details
The five venues for the 2019 festival include Arts Center Melbourne, Chapel Off Chapel, Gasworks Arts Park, Hare Hole and La Mama. The Midsumma Festival is also taking over the Arts Center Melbourne Bombini Buzz for the festival’s official bar this year, where festival goers can enjoy specialty Midsumma cocktails; music from guest DJs; and talks about queer architecture, food, and history as they mingle and mingle late into the night.
Tickets for most Midsumma events can be purchased by phone or online, at the door up to an hour before show time, and at a special booth during the inaugural carnival in Alexandra Gardens. Please note that many of the free Midsumma Festival events still require tickets.
Festival Midwinta de Melbourne
The Midsumma organizers also created an increasingly popular event during the southern hemisphere’s winter months, aptly called the Midwinta Festival, which takes place over two weeks from late July to early August. Events include a wide range of performances, a Midwinta Gala Ball fundraiser for Midsumma, visual arts exhibits, and much more.
Recursos LGBTQIA de Melbourne
You can learn more about Melbourne’s gay scene by checking out local LGBTQIA outlets like Melbourne Community Voice, TimeOut’s Queer Melbourne section, Melbourne’s SameSame.com section, and Melbourne Gay Nighttours Guide. Also take a look at the city’s excellent official tourism organization, Visit Melbourne.
