On Saturday, November 12, Shepparton’s Queen’s Gardens will be awash with rainbows and bustling with people as OUTintheOPEN Festival’s Carnival Day comes to life.
Kicking off at 10.30am, the carnival is the festival’s biggest event, with a wide range of food, entertainment and activities for the whole family to enjoy.
“The carnival is a celebration, a party and a fun day to get out in the open, together,” festival co-convener Damien Stevens-Todd said.
“There will be activities, resources, pride merchandise, a sports precinct, family-friendly games and vaccination hubs.”
Be prepared to bust out your best dancing moves, with performances from a variety of talented artists and musicians including The Winfield Road Experiment, Tin Pot Clay Man, Bailey Slade and The Sailing Blades, Robert Baxter, The Murks, Eileen Grace, Pina Tuteri and Tom Nethersole.
“Most of the entertainment is made up of local bands or artists (who), for example, originated here and moved away, and some of the band members may identify as queer or are queer-friendly,” Mr Stevens-Todd said.
He said the festival was about showcasing and highlighting queer arts and culture, just as much as it was about providing a safe space for queer people.
“We are all about highlighting, promoting, showcasing and including LGBTQIA+ people who still in today’s day and age are under-employed, or unemployed, and need opportunities because they don’t get as many due to discrimination,” Mr Stevens-Todd said.
Bring a picnic blanket and chair, and gather your family and friends to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride and diversity with the local community.
The carnival runs from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Entry is by gold coin donation.
OUTintheOPEN Festival continues this weekend, with a variety of events including Sequins at Shepparton Art Museum, A Night with the Divas and the TGD Clothes-Swap.
For the full list of events, information, tickets and festival passes, visit outintheopen.org.au