A nationwide tour of First Nations rainbow communities is kicking off on September 21, as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023.
The First Nations team from Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will meet with LGBTQIA+SB mob at 11 locations around the country.
At these events, they will provide face-to-face engagement about the Sydney WorldPride festival and the various ways that communities can get involved.
The Roadshow team will also hear from First Nations rainbow communities about their experiences and ensure their voices are part of the first WorldPride festival in the southern hemisphere.
The Roadshow is the beginning of a long-term plan to engage First Nations LGBTQIA+SB communities in the coming years to ensure that their voices are heard and included in future Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations.
In addition, the Roadshow team will talk about specific offerings as part of Sydney WorldPride 2023:
- The discount ticketing scheme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples, MobTix (click here to learn more)
- The opportunity to apply for $5,000 to hold a viewing event in your community for Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert (click here to learn more) and the Mardi Gras Parade (click here to learn more) through the First Nations Grants Program (to apply for the program, click here).
The Roadshow will be led by Sydney WorldPride First Nations Engagement Manager Ebony Williams, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little, and Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Co-Creative Director Ben Graetz (an Iwaidja, Malak Malak & Badu Islands man).
Sydney WorldPride’s First Nations Engagement Manager, Ebony Williams (Wiradjuri and African American woman), said: “Australia is home to the oldest continuous culture on the planet, and our LGBTQIA+ communities are the oldest on the planet as well.
“Connecting with mob out in community is vitally important so that we can forge long-lasting and meaningful relationships that endure in the years to come.”
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’s First Nations and Community Engagement Officer Matika Little (Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi woman) said: “This style of First Nations community engagement is on a scale Mardi Gras has never been able to do before so we are beyond excited to be able connect with mob nationally, face-to-face, especially in the lead up to the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan in the coming months.” The Roadshow is supported by Coles Group, one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Roadshow Locations
Food will be provided at each event. Please RSVP using the links below.
Hobart / Nipaluna country, TAS
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Tas Pride, Long Gallery
Salamanca Art Centre 77 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414485636697
Melbourne / Naarm, VIC
Friday, September 23, 2022
Time: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Venue: Dardi Munwurro, 558 High Street, Preston
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414511925327
Alice Springs / Mparntwe, Arrernte country, NT
Monday, September 26, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Araluen Arts Centre, Witchetty’s Room, 61 Larapinta Drive
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414515195107
Darwin / Larrakia country, NT
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Brown’s Mart Theatre, 12 Smith Street
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414599346807
Tiwi Islands, NT
Friday, September 30, 2022
Time: 11am to 2pm
Venue: Bima Wear, Wurrumiyanga
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414600680797
Broome / Yawuru country, WA
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Time: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Venue: Goolarri Media, 3 Blackman Street
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414602145177
Perth / Boorloo, WA
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, 211 Royal St, East Perth
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414604502227
Cairns Black Pride Festival / Gimuy, QLD
Friday, October 7, 2022
Time: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Sydney WorldPride Stall
Cairns / Gimuy, QLD
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Time: 10.30am to 1.30pm
Venue: Cairns Art Gallery, 40 Abbott St, Cairns
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414609206297
Adelaide / Kaurna country, SA
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Inparrinthi room, 253 Grenfell Street
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/414612375777
Sydney / Gadigal, NSW
Monday, October 17, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: ACON, 414 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/429485000197
Canberra / Ngunnawal country, ACT
Friday October 28, 2022
Time: 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Meridian, Pride Hub
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/419297629497
Western Sydney: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander & Pasifika Info Session
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Time: 11:00am to 1:00pm
Venue: Blacktown Arts Centre
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/440085175607
Applications for the First Nations Grant Program are now open, click here to apply. Applications close on 30 October 2022.
To view the Terms and Conditions for the First Nations Grants Program, click here. For more information about the First Nations Roadshow or grants, contact [email protected].
