NOW EXPERIENCING:Grab your glitter, Midsumma Festival is back! Here's what's on
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Grab your glitter, Midsumma Festival is back! Here's what's on

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Posted 12 Jan 2023

By
Emily Reed

With a packed program of parties, visual arts, theatre, music, cabaret, film and more, this LGBTQIA+ festival in Melbourne is everything.

Turn up your favourite Kylie song, grab the glitter and put on those party heels – Midsumma Festival is back, baby! Yep, Midsumma – Australia's one-of-a-kind queer arts and cultural organisation, which brings together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences – is throwing one hell of a party (read: festival) across Melbourne, and everyone’s invited! We’re chuffed to be a gold sponsor again this year, which means not only do we get to don our best hot pants, but also dive headfirst into pride marches, murals and pop-ups throughout the festival with our Dan’s community by our side. Here’s everything you need to know.    
What is Midsumma?An energetic, colourful explosion of LGBTQIA+ events that focus on hidden and mainstream queer culture, involving local, interstate and international artists. Each year the program is packed with visual arts, theatre, spoken word, live music, cabaret, film, parties, social events, and public forums – pretty much every diverse art form and genre you can poke a fake lash at.
When is it happening? Block out your diaries from Saturday, 21 January to Sunday, 12 February.
How does Dan's do Midsumma?

We love a good party, and Midsumma Festival is one of our favourites of the year. You’ll spot us sprinkled throughout, glitter and all, starting with the Midsumma Carnival on Sunday, 22 January. Held at Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne’s CBD, this full-day extravaganza kicks off with a bang and features a line-up of LGBTQIA+ acts across three stages. We’ll be running the Zero% Bar, serving free and tasty, non-alcoholic* cocktails and drinks to everyone who stops by. Find us from 11am to 5pm, along with Queen of Cocktails Sasha Starr. 

While you’re at the Zero% bar, you’ll also see our regional community partner Q+ Hub. These legends travel Australia with their own pop-up shipping container, connecting and championing queer communities through a variety of mediums. Get in there and write a message of solidarity and support for our regional queer communities. Q+Hub hits the road after Midsumma Carnival and heads to other pride festivals across the country, so those messages of love will reach far and wide. You can also buy a raffle ticket in support of Q+Hub while you're there.    

During January, we’ve invited talented local artist Sarah Jennifer to create a mural on the side of our Dan Murphy’s Prahran store – make sure you get along to see her in action or to check out the finished piece. It’s going to be amazing.

You also won’t want to miss the Midsumma Pride March on Sunday, 5 February, which travels down St Kilda’s Fitzroy Street. This iconic march celebrates solidarity in gender and sexuality diversity, and draws more than 50,000 people strutting their stuff. We’ll be there with bells on, and keep an eye out for our marching band, led by two fabulous drag queens – Sasha Starr and Maple Bacon, who is also one of our very own Dan Murphy’s team members. Phenomenal name, right?

What else can I check out? So much more. Take your pick from the Midsumma Extravaganza – a fabulous evening of divine queer excellence under the stars at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl hosted by Joel Creasey and RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under favourite Kween Kong. Or check out Midsumma x Ignite: a suite of interactive public artworks and installations combined with music, performance and culture across iconic locations in Melbourne's CBD. These two events don’t even scratch the surface, though – you’ll find unique events happening in every corner of Melbourne throughout the three weeks, so be sure to check out the full program.
One last thing... Midsumma is one of many pride festivals that happen around the country each year, and nothing brings us more joy than getting involved in a whole heap of them. Be sure to check out the other festivals happening around Australia, including in Albany, WA (we’ll have a big crew there for the March event) and, of course, WorldPride in Sydney, coming up in February. 
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Emily ReedEmily is a Melbourne-based writer partial to a good pét nat. Her hobbies include lining up songs on Spotify at house parties and hovering near cheese platters.
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Hit ListEventsZero% (non-alc)
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