Leather Pride Week 2003

The changes to Fair Day and Inquisition -“ brought on by circumstances outside the control of the Leather Pride Association -“ have meant that the release of information about the week as a whole has been delayed. It’s set us back by weeks and weeks, says Association president Neil Stollznow. It’s not as though we’ve been slack.

The Fair Day has moved from its traditional venue of Forbes Street Darlinghurst to Prince Alfred Park -“ a move which organiser Lisa Stollznow says will move it in a whole new direction.

It will be a more social picnic day; an opportunity for people to get together and mingle in a nicer environment, she says. It will be a whole new birth for us.

The move to Prince Alfred Park became necessary four weeks ago after objections were raised about the use of Forbes Street as the site for the fair day.

The City of Sydney have been really helpful in coming up with some other options for us, says Stollznow, adding that there will be a bus to transport attendees from Oxford Street to the park for those who seldom travel west of Whitlam Square.

Fair Day-goers will be able to peruse a range of leather and fetish stalls, while the entertainment roster is set to include DJs Sandy Hotrod and Mark Alsop. Sexy Galexy is also scheduled for an appearance.

A highlight of the day has traditionally been the contests, in categories such as Best Dressed and Best Body Art.

The Hog Tie competition is also returning -“ although Stollznow warns that a sub nine-second performance will be needed to clinch the title.

A sausage sizzle and a bar will also be on hand -“ and those looking to continue the drinking good times post-Fair Day are encouraged to venture on to the Midnight Shift or Manacle.

Inquisition XI on Saturday 24 May will round out this year’s Leather Pride Week, as usual -“ but a change of venue means that this party is set to be different to any previous Inquisition.

This year the focus is on the people -“ they are the stars, says the chair of the party committee, Gary Kennedy.

While there will be the usual performances and decorations, this year we want the focus to be on the people, he explained. To do this we have moved from a large hall (the Hordern Pavilion) to a much smaller venue [the club formerly known as City Live]. Only 1900 tickets will be sold for the party and half of these are already pre-sold to members and other like-minded organisations.

There will be a strict dress code of leather, rubber, uniform and erotica for this year’s Inquisition, Kennedy adds. Some things in the world of leather never change -“ and that’s a good thing.