General News
12 September, 2022
Council, students collaborate to bring first Pride Festival to Maryborough in 2023
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has contributed $5000 towards the festival and Cr Sproull said it was important for the shire to be an inclusive place and also for residents to help plan the festival. “We are working collaboratively with...
Planning is underway for the Central Goldfields Shire’s inaugural Pride Festival, which has been welcomed as a way to strengthen community connections and inclusiveness.
Planned for Saturday, January 28 next year, the festival is aimed particularly at youth and is being organised by local resident and Mill House chair Adrian Masterman-Smith and councillor Wayne Sproull, with support from the local Youth Pride Group.
Forming part of the Midsumma Festival — Australia’s premier queer arts and cultural organisation — the festival will see market and food stalls as well as entertainment set up with festivities to last the full day.
Mr Masterman-Smith acknowledged the event is the first of its kind for the shire, which he said was an important step forward for the community.
“The festival will open with a special conga line in which participants will be able to choose a colour which best represents their personality, identity or spirit,” he said.
“This event will be a space for anyone who identifies as on the rainbow, but it will also be for their family, friends and supporters.
“This is an opportunity to strengthen those community connections.
“There are no Pride events happening in this region and it’s exciting that Maryborough will be the conduit between festivals happening in regional centres such as Castlemaine and Daylesford.”
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has contributed $5000 towards the festival and Cr Sproull said it was important for the shire to be an inclusive place and also for residents to help plan the festival.
“We are working collaboratively with local young people to build a festival that is inclusive, supportive and educational,” he said.
“We’ll have Headspace, the Australian non-profit organisation for youth mental health, set up with a marquee, along with other support providers and groups, there will be plenty happening.
“We want this festival to reflect the needs and wants of our community, to do that we need input from the community.
“Everyone we’ve spoken to has been incredibly supportive and are excited to see this come to life.
“If there is anyone out there who would like to get involved in organising the festival, please get in touch.”
Maryborough Education Centre students who form part of the school’s Pride Crew have been involved in planning the event and Pride Crew coordinator Jess Burbidge said students are excited to be involved with the Pride Festival.
“Wayne and Adrian came to visit our Pride Crew and announced to our students that there was a pride festival coming up, which of course got the students all very excited,” she said.
“We’ve put together a workshop already where students have had the opportunity to voice their opinions on what they want the festival to look like.
“It was really interesting, one of the main things that the students flagged was making sure there was adequate transport to get people from out of town in for the event and enough advertising so people were aware it was on so that everyone was included.”
Ms Burbidge said the festival would be an opportunity for queer people to have their voices heard and meet other, like-minded individuals.
“Anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ know each other and it seems to be quite a small pool of people, so having the opportunity to meet other like-minded youth is the big take out for them,” she said.
“These young people not only want to have their voices heard in the community but also be able to meet other youth who are going through the same experiences.
“Country towns aren’t always the most accepting, we’ve certainly come a long way but there is still a way to go and the opportunity for young people to be involved in this is fantastic and something they’re excited for.”
The 2023 Pride Festival will get underway at the Maryborough Railway Station from 11 am, Saturday, January 28, before moving to Maryborough Mill House where market stalls, an entertainment marquee and food stalls will be set up, with festivities planned until 6 pm.
For more information and to get involved, visit www.pridefestivalmaryborough.org.au and search Pride Festival Maryborough on Facebook for regular event updates.