A MINI festival will take place on Saturday, celebrating forty years of the decriminalisation of homosexuality.<\/p>\n
Director of Bendigo Pride Festival John Richards said the Pop Up Pride event coincides with Melbourne Pride, however the metropolitan edition has been postponed until next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we wanted to do is a real celebration,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a mini carnival day happening at the Bendigo Library gardens, the town hall and the library.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s almost like we\u2019re taking 12 things you might find at a festival and shoving them all into one five-hour period.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drag performers, including Bendigo\u2019s own Deborah Triangle and Polly Filla will perform, as well as musicians Bill Barber and Sherri Parry.<\/p>\n
Trove-style Gay Stuff Markets will run, the Trans clothing swap will take place in Town Hall, short films from the Bendigo Queer Film Festival will screen in the Bendigo library as well as the AIDS Quilt display from Thorne Harbour Country.<\/p>\n
While 40 years may seem a long time ago, Mr Richards said the region has continued to increase its support for the LGBTIQA+ community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis region, even in the last five years, the way Bendigo has been welcoming to LGBTIQA+ people, and also the way the community is becoming more visible, it\u2019s been really exciting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sort of thing feels like it\u2019s a logical first step, the Pride Festival gets bigger every year and there\u2019s this great sense of this being a development and celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo think it\u2019s only been 40 years since it was illegal to be gay, and now we can get married and have these events, it\u2019s incredible how quickly that\u2019s moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Richards said there is more confidence in planning larger events, and the Bendigo Pride Festival will make up for lost time with its biggest event in years, next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cPop Up Pride is a bit of a trial run to see how things go, there\u2019ll be roughly 30 to 40 events over the three-week period and hopefully in January we\u2019ll have a program out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A MINI festival will take place on Saturday, celebrating forty years of the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Director of Bendigo Pride Festival John Richards said the Pop Up Pride event coincides with Melbourne Pride, however the metropolitan edition has been postponed until next year. \u201cWhat we wanted to do is a real celebration,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s […]<\/p>\n