Perth Shortlisted As Only Australian City 2030 For Gay Games

The race to host the 2030 Gay Games has intensified with news that Melbourne is no longer in the running to host the games, with Perth remaining as the only Australian city in contention.

In October the final cities in contention submitted their official bids to the Federation of Gay Games.

Now the federation have announced their decision.

Three Cities Remain To Host Gay Games

Earlier this year it was announced that Melbourne, Perth, Cape Town, Taipei, Auckland, Denver and Edmonton were the final cities remaining in contention for the games.

Melbourne drew the ire of many critics at the time following their decision to pursue the games after cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

However it seems that is no longer an issue with the Federation of Gay Games announcing Melbourne have not proceeded to the final selection process.

Instead they have revealed that Perth will join Auckland, New Zealand and Denver, US as the final three cities in the running to host the games.

“We’re incredibly excited to move into the Top 3 to host Gay Games 2030,” said Laurie Butterfly, co-chair of the team in charge of Perth’s bid for the games.

“Perth’s bid is from ground up; directly from Perth’s LGBTQIA+ sporting teams. We want the world to share in our dynamic, vibrant and inclusive community.”

Austin Manning, Officer of Site Selection at the Federation Of Gay Games congratulated all of the cities and their efforts.

“We are thrilled to congratulate Auckland, Denver, and Perth on advancing as finalists on this journey toward selecting the host city for Gay Games XIII in 2030″ he said.

“Each city has worked incredibly hard to present themselves as a potential host, and has firmly stamped their local culture and uniqueness onto their proposals. This milestone is not just about choosing a city; it’s about envisioning a future where LGBTQ+ sports and culture, and the values we have in common, shine brighter than ever. We look forward to the next 12 months and working closely with the three teams as they prepare their final bid books for review in October 2025.”

The 2023 Gay Games were hosted by Hong Kong with Guadalajara announced as the co-hosting country for the year.

Over 5,000 people attended the 2023 event, which takes place across 10 days, every four years.

The 2026 Gay Games will be hosted in Valencia, Spain.