June is Pride Month and this year an organised and dedicated team of volunteers are bring Pride to the Eurobodalla, with a schedule of LGBTQIA events across the month under the umbrella of Queerobodalla.
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Kicking off on Sunday, June 2 with the Queerobodalla Riverside Launch, this will herald the start of the inaugural month-long event.
Volunteer co-convener Alice Ansara explained that the whole festival was born out of a small committee of LGBTQIA community people who wondered "where is the queer community in the Eurobodalla?".
"It's pretty exciting because, as far as I know, the only pride-related events that we've had in the Eurobodalla, is that two years running we've had a screening of the Mardi Gras parade at the Air Raid [Tavern]," she said.
"It's just been a couple of little, low key things, and now all of a sudden we've got a full month of festival activity kicking off with this big celebration at the Riverside Park.
"So in terms of visibility, community and engagement, it's really big."
"It's really about building community, because there are a lot of people that feel like they are the only queer in the village, and they're not."
Alice said the initiative had received great support from Eurobodalla Shire Council and other local organisations such as The Family Place and Headspace, with businesses such as Tomakin Sports and Social Club providing support in kind with the provision of the main stage for the launch event.
With food trucks, a pooch parade where owners can dress up their best furry friends, resource stalls and music by local queer musicians such as Val Moogz and Joint Custody, the riverside launch is shaping up to be a fun day for all.
Festivities begin 11am Sunday, June 2. For more information on Queerobodalla visit www.facebook.com/queerobodalla. Tickets for events through the month are available at Humantix.
The festival will feature a variety of events and activities, including:
- Queerobodalla Riverside Launch: A community gathering to kick off the festivities, providing a safe and welcoming space to connect and socialise - featuring queer musicians and performers alongside resource stalls from organisations and artists.
- Queer Authors Panel: Panel discussion from LGBTQIA+ authors with Christos Tsiolkos (The Slap) headlining.
- Queer Film Screening: A night of diverse LGBTQIA+ short films and a community dinner.
- Rainbow Yoga: Yoga sessions tailored to LGBTQIA+ individuals - for health and connection.
- Deep in Drag: A fabulous dance party celebrating queer culture and diversity, providing a safe space for self-expression and celebration and platforming local queer performers and DJs.
- Womxn Make Music: a residential professional music making retreat for women and non-binary people.
- Queer Writing Workshop: with local author Inga Simpson
