{"id":104821,"date":"2026-02-11T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/?p=104821"},"modified":"2026-02-05T01:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T14:22:36","slug":"a-safe-night-out-ballarat-pride-ball-set-to-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/a-safe-night-out-ballarat-pride-ball-set-to-return\/","title":{"rendered":"A safe night out: Ballarat Pride Ball set to return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>THE BALLARAT Pride Ball is set to return this year, backed by state government funding.<\/p>\n<p>The Victorian government announced $10,000 last month for QHub to deliver a series of events across Ballarat and Geelong, including the city&#8217;s pride ball.<\/p>\n<p>Designed as a safe and welcoming celebration, the ball gives young LGBTIQA+ people a chance to gather in a fun and comfortable environment.<\/p>\n<p>Last year&#8217;s event featured a DJ, craft spaces and quiet rooms, creating a mix of high-energy and low-sensory options for attendees.<\/p>\n<p>Asha Buckmaster, a community engagement worker at QHub, said events like the pride ball played an important role for young LGBTIQA+ people in the region.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know that they are vital for young peoples&#8217; sense of social connectedness,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Opportunities to come together and have fun in a safe and affirming space is really crucial for the wellbeing of young LGBTIQA+ people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms Buckmaster said receiving government funding to support the event was exciting, particularly after the strong response to the ball last year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We surveyed young people on the night and also after the event and gained overwhelmingly positive feedback, most of which stated that they wanted more of these events and more often,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So being able to actually fulfil that wish for young people is wonderful.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She said parents had also shared positive feedback.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Parents talked about how their children came home really elated, and talking about having the most amazing night of their life,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The funding forms part of a $400,000 statewide allocation through the government&#8217;s Pride Events and Festivals Fund.<\/p>\n<p>Preparations for the next Ballarat Pride Ball will progress in the coming weeks, with updates to be shared via QHub Ballarat&#8217;s Instagram page and <a href=\"http:\/\/queerspace.org.au\/our-programs\/safe-spaces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">queerspace.org.au\/our-programs\/safe-spaces<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THE BALLARAT Pride Ball is set to return this year, backed by state government funding. The Victorian government announced $10,000 last month for QHub to deliver a series of events across Ballarat and Geelong, including the city&#8217;s pride ball. Designed as a safe and welcoming celebration, the ball gives young LGBTIQA+ people a chance to [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/a-safe-night-out-ballarat-pride-ball-set-to-return\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":104822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-104821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A safe night out: Ballarat Pride Ball set to return - Golden Plains Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ballarat Pride Ball returns in 2026 with state funding, offering a safe, fun, and inclusive night for young LGBTIQA+ people.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/a-safe-night-out-ballarat-pride-ball-set-to-return\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A safe night out: Ballarat Pride Ball set to return - 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