Spring Out Pride Festival: Canberra’s Biggest Celebration of Pride
A celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride is coming to Canberra next month!
SpringOUT promises a fusion of culture, community spirit and a celebration of queer love for the entire month of November.
Canberra’s only pride festival, SpringOUT is a month-long pride festival that celebrates Australia’s most LGBTQIA+ friendly city and its LGBTQIA+ community in all its fabulous diversity.
This year will mark its 24th anniversary as a community run festival, for the community, by the community. Ever since its inception, SpringOUT has aimed to empower LGBTQIA+ individuals and groups, offering a platform for them to be proud of their identities while advocating messages of positivity and diversity into the cultural fabric of Canberra.
The Canberra SpringOUT Pride Festival began in 1999 with two volunteers and a pride rally. At the time, a crowd of 300 marched down to Glebe Park, waving rainbow flags to celebrate the richness of Canberra’s LGBTQIA+ community. Beginning with the ‘Fairday Frolic’, Canberra’s SpringOUT festival continued for the rest of the month, featuring live entertainment, concerts, bush dances, film showings, cocktail parties, and a Love Bus tour.
SpringOUT hopes to reaffirm a sense of community for individuals and groups who may otherwise be marginalised and provide educational, cultural, and creative spaces that encourage free expression.
This year the theme for SpringOUT is ‘PRIDE in the CAPITAL’.
Spring OUT Events You Don’t Want to Miss
Madonna 40: A Celebration Exhibition
Lovingly collected and curated by Canberra fan, Jerry Kirbell, Madonna 40: A Celebration Exhibition will explore the pop singer’s rich career in recording studios and discotheques of New York City since 1982. The pieces reflect the importance of the singer’s career and her impact on music, fashion, art, and popular culture.
Date: Saturday 14th October 2023- Saturday 2nd March 2024
Canberra Frontrunners SpringOUT Pride Run & Walk
An inclusive and diverse running and walking community for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies, Canberra Frontrunners invites people to join them for their annual Pride Run/Walk. As part of SpringOUT, the Frontrunners will be travelling around Lake Burley Griffin for a 5km clockwise loop, or for those who are up for it, for a second lap!
Instagram: @canberrafrontrunners
Date: Saturday, November 18th
SpringOUT Queer Comedy Collective
Get ready to celebrate love, laughter and LGBTQIA+ pride at the greatest comedy event of the year! Presented by CBR SpringOUT Festival – PRIDE in the CAPITAL and Luke Musicki, the comedy stage will be graced by brilliant and funny queer comedians ready to share their experiences with the audience. The line-up includes:
- Chris Knight (NSW) – seasoned Sydney Fringe Festival (“Another Knight”)
- Laura Johnston (ACT) Canberra-based musical comedian and seasoned Comedy Festival participant
- Timo Lorenzen (NSW) – Sydney sensation with his show “40 Plus” and Raw Comedy
And much more!
Tickets can be purchased at The Street Theatre Box Office. $25 ticket or $20 concession.
Date: Wednesday, November 8th
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Street Theatre, 15 Childers St, Canberra City
With over 30 events happening in Canberra in November. There is something for everyone.
Canberra’s pride festival has continued to blossom over the years and this year the festival is set to be bigger than ever before. Check out all of the wonderful queer events for Canberra’s pride festival and join the celebration of queer performances, love, sexualities, and identities with SpringOUT.
For more information about the events, visit SpringOUT’s website: https://springout.com.au/
