Showing posts with label mardi gras australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mardi gras australia. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Gay Ole Time
Author:Deborah Erwin
Re-Posted From: Alternative Media Group of Australia
Posted:Tuesday, 27 September 2011
All walks of sexual nuance will be out en masse this weekend to celebrate, gyrate and drink at their favourite Oxford St venue.
Big Gay Weekend, a three-day party organised by New Mardi Gras (NMG), is a fundraiser for the city’s annual Mardi Gras Parade which celebrates sexual diversity and acceptance.
The producer for the weekend-long party James Bridge is a former manager at Midnight Shift and has been on Oxford Street’s “scene” for eight years.
“We’re aiming to fundraise about $40,000 this weekend,” he said.
The money will be spent on producing both community-based and NMG floats.
Mr Bridge said the organisation receives a lot of support from the City of Sydney and Events NSW, they rely heavily on donations. “Last year we lost over $30,000 running the parade,” he said. “But this year we managed to get all the party promoters to donate a portion of their ticket sales. This has never been done before so it’s very exciting.”
Chief executive of NMG Michael Rolik said the upcoming public holiday has been a fundraising tradition for the last 30 years.
“The main objectives of the weekend are to raise funds for the Parade and to support businesses on Oxford St,” he said.
The event involves dozens of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues and officially begins at 5pm Friday.
Part of the ticket sales for the parties on Oxford Street this weekend will go toward funding the annual parade.
“In recent years, due to a number of reasons which had to do with having different teams every year, it hasn’t been that successful. So we decided to park it and come up with the concept of the Big Gay Weekend,” Mr Rolik said.
Big Gay Weekend, a three-day party organised by New Mardi Gras (NMG), is a fundraiser for the city’s annual Mardi Gras Parade which celebrates sexual diversity and acceptance.
The producer for the weekend-long party James Bridge is a former manager at Midnight Shift and has been on Oxford Street’s “scene” for eight years.
“We’re aiming to fundraise about $40,000 this weekend,” he said.
The money will be spent on producing both community-based and NMG floats.
Mr Bridge said the organisation receives a lot of support from the City of Sydney and Events NSW, they rely heavily on donations. “Last year we lost over $30,000 running the parade,” he said. “But this year we managed to get all the party promoters to donate a portion of their ticket sales. This has never been done before so it’s very exciting.”
Chief executive of NMG Michael Rolik said the upcoming public holiday has been a fundraising tradition for the last 30 years.
“The main objectives of the weekend are to raise funds for the Parade and to support businesses on Oxford St,” he said.
The event involves dozens of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues and officially begins at 5pm Friday.
Part of the ticket sales for the parties on Oxford Street this weekend will go toward funding the annual parade.
“In recent years, due to a number of reasons which had to do with having different teams every year, it hasn’t been that successful. So we decided to park it and come up with the concept of the Big Gay Weekend,” Mr Rolik said.
Mr Bridge said an army of volunteers are integral to the parade’s whole operation.
“We rely on volunteers to do everything from bucket collecting (getting donations) to building websites. Even those on the Board are volunteers,” Mr Bridge said.
“The organisation wouldn’t run without them.” The Parade is more than an excuse to prance around in sequined costumes for most Sydneysiders, it is also a platform for raising awareness about social issues pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
“The Parade started off as a march to get a point across in terms of equality,” Mr Bridge said. “Today marriage equality is at the forefront. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Everyone should have the same rights. They should be able to marry whoever they want.”
“We rely on volunteers to do everything from bucket collecting (getting donations) to building websites. Even those on the Board are volunteers,” Mr Bridge said.
“The organisation wouldn’t run without them.” The Parade is more than an excuse to prance around in sequined costumes for most Sydneysiders, it is also a platform for raising awareness about social issues pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
“The Parade started off as a march to get a point across in terms of equality,” Mr Bridge said. “Today marriage equality is at the forefront. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Everyone should have the same rights. They should be able to marry whoever they want.”
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Midsumma Melbourne celebrate Queer Culture
Midsumma, Melbourne’s premier queer arts and cultural festival, will bring the city to life over summer when the festival begins in the middle of January.
The festival spans three weeks, finishing on the 6th February, and includes art exhibitions, theatre, live music and nightlife events with queer-centric themes for the queer and wider community.
Celebrating its 23rd birthday, Midsumma has grown in stature and audience and plays a significant role in the broader Melbourne arts festival scene as well as the cultural life of Melbourne’s queer community.
“Midsumma enhances the sense of a ‘queer community’ in Melbourne, strengthens the sense of identity, and deepens the sense of belonging within our community, which in turn makes the community more resilient” says Adam Lowe, General Manager of Midsumma.
“By showcasing queer culture to the broader community, it helps destigmatise the queer community and reduce levels of marginalisation” Adam says.
Lisa Watts, Chairperson of Midsumma adds “The festival also provides a supportive forum for queer youth, by giving them a sense of belonging and overcome the sense of isolation they can feel”.
Midsumma attracts over 100,000 people from Melbourne and interstate. making it a significant tourist and cultural contributor to Melbourne’s economy.
The festival opens with Carnival, Midsumma’s single largest event, and features food, entertainment and activities.
Melbourne Apartment Accommodation at Metro Apartments on Bank Place
(Source: Visit Victoria web site)
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