Fun and games at Parramatta Pride
The biggest annual event for Western Sydney’s LGBTI community — the Parramatta Pride Picnic — is set to take place from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, September 18 at Parramatta Park.
Organisers are expecting more than 500 people to attend. The event is presented by the Parramatta Queer Forum, a group of GLBT community organisations including ACON, PFLAG, the Western Suburbs Haven, and the Cumberland Women’s Health Centre.
“The day is really about getting out there and meeting other people,” ACON’s Western Sydney liaison officer Gavin Prendergast said.
“GLBT and HIV positive people living in the Western Sydney region can often experience a sense of social isolation and a lack of attachment to the broader GLBT community and this can have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing.”
Those attending Parramatta Pride can relax with a picnic lunch and browse the stalls of community organisations.
If you’re after something to get your blood running, there are games and physical activities planned, including the traditional Parra Pride tug-of-war. Many of the sporting and physical activities are family-orientated, so feel free to bring children along.
When you’ve worked up an appetite, the Western Suburbs Haven will cook a barbeque for people who don’t want to bring a picnic basket. All the money from the barbeque goes back to the Western Suburbs Haven, which supports people with HIV in Western Sydney.
Photo: Anne Marie Calilhanna
