Feast your eyes on this

Feast your eyes on this
Image: Dannii Minogue will appear at the Adelaide Feast Festival.

ONE could get excited or overwhelmed looking through the Feast Festival Guide to decide which events to go to at South Australia’s premiere LGBTI event.

Celebrating its 20th festival, the 2016 Feast Festival is jam packed with amazing shows and it’s no surprise it is the country’s third biggest LGBTI festival, with people coming from around the world to enjoy the spectacle.

In 2014 Eurovision winner and drag icon Conchita Wurst was one of the big names to perform at the Feast Festival and giving 2016 festival-goers an idea of the calibre of entertainment they can expect this year.

For two weeks starting from October 21, Adelaide will come alive to celebrate the city’s pride and show the world exactly why it has become the festival city.

Feast Ambassador Michael Griffiths said one of the highlights of this year’s festival “is definitely the brand new Feast Hub at Raj House”.

“The final stages of renovations are underway and it’s looking fabulous,” he said.

“It’s the place to have a drink, check out a show and soak up all the Feast festivities. Dannii Minogue performing with her band at the opening night street party followed by DJ Josh spinning 90s dance tunes is sure to be a highlight too.”

Griffiths has chosen ‘Sous Terre’ as the must see event at the festival.

“Sous Terre is a new multi media dance theatre piece which boasts ballet, breaking and voguing is high on my list, as is the premiere of local South Aussie feature film Hand Grenade,” he said.

“As always, there’s a great lineup of cabaret and comedy and the Mass Debate is one not to miss.

“Besides the visual art and performances, the Feast Hub on it’s own will be worth checking out with live music, DJs and pop up performances from Feast artists all through the Festival.”

Rather than ending with a bang, the Feast Festival will also start with one. The opening night street party will be headlined by one of Australia’s pop icons, Dannii Minogue.

Festival organisers want you to party like it’s 1997 – the year Feast was first launched – and help celebrate its 20th birthday.

The opening night party will be one of the queerest dance parties Adelaide has ever seen and along with Minogue, crowds will be entertained by superstar DJ Josh and AUSLAN performer extraordinaire Lorraine Butler.

Pop up bars and food trucks will keep the party people going with yummy drinks and tasty food.

One of the free events at the Feast Festival is the popular Pride March with more community groups involved than ever before.

Kicking off Light Square the Pride March will revel in Adelaide’s LGBTIQ love, strength and the rainbow diversity of its many sexualities and genders. The magnificent parade will stroll through the streets of Adelaide to Victoria Square and then stumble into Feast’s Opening Night Party.

Comedy, drama, art, performance, community, sport queer thinking and some events for youth all feature heavily at this year’s festival.

The Rainbow Collection Exhibition by local artist Lissy Elliott is a collection of characters, designs and reclaimed expressions.

To be officially launched on November 3 by Federal Senator Penny Wong, the artist hopes bring celebration, fun and humour to the LGBTI and broader community after an intense year of politicians debating our human rights, the plebiscite and of course, Orlando.

Elliot invites you “to breathe out, immerse yourself in rainbows and celebrate our beautiful community”.

A stand out event in the cabaret and theatre portion of the Feast Festival is the delightful ‘I Sing Piaf’ happening on November 4 at Raj House.

I Sing Piaf features Georgia who sings perfect French, channelling the legendary Edith Piaf. Her wife Louise believes her hit show “Georgia with a G” should go well in France, so the pack their eyelashes and hit the road. right? But it turns out that the Australian and French cultures have hilarious differences. Come with this inspiring lesbian couple to sunny France for a music-filled comedy and cross-cultural journey that wonders what it means to be an Australian.

If you’re after a laugh, look no further than Feast’s amazing line up of comedy shows.

Thomas Jaspers, Toby Halligan, Lisa-Skye and Daisy Berry, The Sparrow Men and Victoria Healy are all putting on hilarious shows which will have you in stitches.

Many of the comedians will come together for the popular Comedy Mass Debate along with Andy Balloch and Marcus Willis. Hosted by everyone’s favourite larrikin, Lori Bell, the comedians will tackle the big topics such as, club nights vs couch nights or grindr vs netflix? Walk of shame vs breakfast in bed? The Comedy Mass Debate is happening on October 27 and is sure to sell out quickly.

If you want to get a bit more cerebral during the Feast Festival then look no further than the Queer Ideas sessions.

The Safe Schools Coalition is having a show and tell day on October 29 where people will have the chance to hear from parents, teachers and students about what makes the Safe Schools program so fabulous.

Celebrate Adelaide’s 180th birthday and the traditional owners of the land, the Kaurna people with Queen of the Walk Dr Gertrude Glossip. Stroll, genteel and gay, through parkland, garden, street, square and terrace of the city’s south-eastern residential Eden. Gertrude really does ‘paint the lily’; she’s always got a new angle on something. Expect interaction and surprise on October 23 and 28.

If you are more into sports, Feast will not let you down on November 5. The Same Sex Dancesport competition and the SAMESH Volleyball Tournament will bring some heat to Adelaide’s biggest LGBTI festival.

Special events include master classes on Japanese rope artistry, Big Gay Bingo, the Queer Christian Worship service, Gilligan’s Big Gay Island, Picnic in the Park at Pinky Flat, a candlelight vigil for International Transgender Day of Remembrance and a Queer Youth Drop in Mega Party.

As in previous the Welcome Mat has returned this year for anyone who wants a friendly face to join them when attending a Feast event. Bfriend workers and volunteers roll out the Welcome Mat for specific Feast events. If you are new to the LGBTIQ community, don’t want to attend an event alone, haven’t been to Feast for a while or simply want a friendly face drop by the Welcome Mat to make some new friends.

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