Geelong Rainbow Festival seeks performers and volunteers

THE annual Geelong Rainbow Festival will return to Johnstone Park in February and its dedicated team of organisers is seeking volunteers, performers, food vendors and market stall holders interested in contributing to the event.

Applications are open to volunteers of all experience levels who are willing to assist with festival set up, routine clean-ups and supporting attendees, with first aid training and CPR training highly regarded.

Meanwhile, expressions of interest from local performers including drag queens and kings, musicians and dancers, as well as vendors and local support organisations interested in hosting a stall during the festival, are welcome.

Geelong Rainbow’s volunteer coordinator Rosie Moroney encouraged those who are passionate about the rights and freedoms of the queer community and are eager to join in the celebration, to get involved.

“This is such an amazing opportunity to spread wing and be part of something that should be celebrated everywhere, every year,” she said.

First held in 2018, the Geelong Rainbow Festival aims to engage the LGBTQIA+ community in a safe and fun-filled space, facilitate connection and networking and celebrate the queer community’s diversity and uniqueness.

“The importance of this festival is that it’s creating an awareness: we are loud, and we are here,” Moroney said.

“It’s just to celebrate the beauty that is our queer community and recognise how important we are in this space and to acknowledge that.

“[It’s] just absolutely the most beautiful time of year, in my opinion.”

Expression of interest forms can be accessed via Geelong Rainbow’s Facebook and Instagram pages, with volunteer applications set to close in early January.

Geelong Rainbow Festival will take place on February 15.