Midsumma Festival

Name
Website	www.midsumma.org.au
Time	Late January to early February
Duration	22 days
Major Events	Carnival, Pride March
First Parade	1989
Marchers	7,4001
Spectators	45,0001
Parade Route	Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

Melbourne’s Pride festival is known as Midsumma and takes place over 22 days in late January and early February. The festival is made up of 3 major events - Carnival, Pride March and Victoria's Pride - as well as a massive program of art and cultural events.

Midsumma Carnival

As with many pride festivals, Midsumma kicks off with an outdoor community day to celebrate all aspects of our diverse community. Midsumma Carnival is held in Alexandra Gardens in the centre of the city from 11AM to 10PM. The event is free to the public and typically attracts around 120,000 people.

The event features a number of precincts dedicated to different groups such as sports, youth, family, elderly and a chill out zone.

You can browse stalls from community groups, LGBT+ interest stores, government agencies and sporting teams. Two stages feature a lineup of entertainment including drag shows, DJs and of course the mandatory dog show.  

The community stalls finish up around 6PM and the evening transitions into a T-Dance pumping out beats into the Midsumma night.

Pride March

The main event of any pride festival is the Pride march. Melbourne’s pride march takes place on the final Sunday of the Midsumma festival, beginning at 11AM. The march travels down Fitzroy street in St Kilda, terminating at Catani Gardens on the waterfront where it erupts into an outdoor party. There are a number of other popular after-parties around St Kilda.

The event has retained a community feel. It's more of a protest march than a glitzy parade. This demonstrates the contrast between Sydney and Melbourne - Sydney's pride festival features a glittery parade and harbourside dance parties, Melbourne's is a protest march and arts and culture spread across the city.

Victoria's Pride

In 2022, a new event was added to the Midsumma program to commemorate 40 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the state. Melbourne Pride was a massive street party in the inner northern suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood. It made a return the following year but with a name change - Victoria's Pride. 

Gertrude, Smith and Peel streets are closed to traffic, stages are erected and pop-up stalls are set up selling food and drinks. The event is a huge success and makes the perfect close to the Midsumma festival. Here's to hoping it becomes a permanent part of the festival.

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