Are you ready for Midsumma?
Image: Midsumma Pride March Photo by Dean Arcuri
Midsumma is set to take over Melbourne with artistic and cultural events that celebrate and elevate our diverse LGBTQIA+ communities. Featuring 194 events over 22 days including performances, exhibitions, talks and social events.
“The program highlights what’s happening right across our diverse communities with storytelling, diversity & intersectionality,” Midsumma Festival CEO Karen Bryant told Star Observer. “We are unashamedly local, but we want to be developing our own voice that is both national and international, which creates really interesting dialogues and contexts.”
Spanning 98 venues across the city and outer suburbs, Midsumma will help our communities celebrate in their own voices. Among the highlights are a major project which claws at the themes of colonisation, and special appearance by Drag Race Thailand‘s Pangina Heals for Chinese New Year.
“We continue to look at the stories we tell and issues we are facing in our region of the world and how works reflect back in a broader global sense,” Bryant said.
“We never wanted to just be a festival of fringe or local artists but wanted to be a festival for all. Having a program with artists from different communities, and levels of experience alongside international and local artists is something I am really proud of.”
There are seven selected Festival Hubs: Theatre Works, Gasworks Arts Park, Chapel Off Chapel, Hare Hole, Arts Centre Melbourne, a curated family program with The Melba Spiegeltent, and Midsumma Westside. There is truly something for everyone to experience and explore.
Carnival kicks everything off in Alexandra Gardens with Pride March in St Kilda celebrating 25 years in 2020.
“Pride march is something which we are the custodians of for the community,” Bryant told us. “We may run it, but we have only looked after it for a few of its rich history formed by so many.”
“When people say they are standing on the shoulders of giants, that’s how I feel about Pride March. It’s so precious, and we look after it to make sure it has a history that continues for the next 25 years.”
Midsumma Festival takes place from Sunday, 19 January to Sunday, 9 February 2020. Check out the whole program via the Midsumma website.
Picked up a festival guide book today at the Melbourne town hall visitors hub. booked tickets to one of the shows at the arts centre, another show i wanted to see was already sold out. put carnival into my diary. Pride march i attend with the Scouts.