Brisbane Pride
A spring festival of parties and events, Brisbane Pride builds to its Rally and March from Fortitude Valley to New Farm Park, where Fair Day brings drag, music and stalls.
Brisbane Pride festival takes place in spring - before the full force of the Brisbane summer - and includes a month of parties and events. The festival is smaller in scale than other cities of a similar size, however, it has been revamped in recent years and has grown from a protest march in the middle of winter to a spring-time festival full of colour and energy. Attendance is growing year on year as more of the city gets behind the festival.
Rally & March
The day begins with a rally on the corner of Ann and Brunswick Streets in Fortitude Valley. From there, the march heads the full length of Brunswick Street to New Farm Park. It has more of a community feel than most Pride parades, with marchers far outnumbering floats. At the finish line, Fair Day is waiting in New Farm Park.
Fair Day
Fair Day fills New Farm Park once the march arrives, and it's the heart of the day. On the main stage, drag, music and dance acts keep the crowd entertained, while rows of stalls showcase community groups, local businesses and services. Bring a picnic rug, find a spot under the fig trees and settle in for the afternoon.
The Origin of Pride
The first Brisbane Pride took place in 1990 at a time when “sodomy” was still a crime in Queensland. While other states started decriminalising homosexuality in the 1970s and 1980s, the seemingly endless era of conservatism under premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen meant that decriminalization did not arrive in Queensland until late 1990[3].
Change was in the air with the newly-elected Labor government and organisers felt inspired to take the next step with Brisbane’s pride movement.
The parade came about thanks to the efforts of a group of activists known as the Lesbian and Gay Pride Collective. The group was committed to the equal participation of women, so Dykes on Bikes led the first parade, and they have ever since[4].
After a rally at Roma Street forum, the parade worked its way across Victoria Bridge to Musgrave Park in West End. The march was protested heavily. Religious protesters hurled not only insults, but also rocks, and a man drove a vehicle into marchers. Thankfully no-one was seriously injured.
The parade route and date were later changed to a springtime march down Brunswick Street from Fortitude Valley to New Farm Park - closer to Brisbane’s beating gay heart. The festival continues to grow each year as acceptance increases and more of the city gets behind this colourful festival.
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