The Pride of Victoria: This Year’s Incredible Regional Activation Program

Pride doesn’t just stop at the city limits, it thrives across regional Victoria where local queer communities bring their own colour and creativity to the season. Backed by the Victorian Government’s $6.8 million investment with Midsumma, Victoria’s Pride Regional Activations Program spans 15 exciting events from November to February, each celebrating local LGBTQIA+ talent, joy and resilience.

Kicking things off in Gippsland, the 5th annual Roller Derby Pride Cup rolled into November with high-energy skating, community stalls and full-contact fun.

Bendigo followed with Playback, a Trans Awareness Week panel spotlighting trans and gender-diverse voices in film and audio. Hosted by Benjamin MacEllen, the event featured filmmaker Mitch Nivalis, ABC’s Jean Tong, intimacy coordinator Bayley Turner, WIFT Vic’s Julie Peters and others, unpacking the power of storytelling and representation.

Further east, Picture Me transformed Bairnsdale’s The Hub into a glam-studio with free hair and make-up styling, inviting all to express themselves! Goulburn Valley continued the creativity with Portraits of Queer GV, opening studios for art lovers and novices to take part in a sprawling mosaic of self-portraits, showcasing the story of Victoria’s diverse rainbow through February.

December brought Oceanside Pride for two weeks of drag workshops, youth karaoke, dance classes and costume creation to Portland’s coast, ensuring a buzzing space for everyone— from budding performers to spectators.

Mildura’s Friends of Comedy kept the energy high with a line-up of gut-busting LGBTQIA+ comedians including Kat Zam, Freddie Arthur, Carmelo Costa, Chris Demos and Bianka Ismailovski.

Ballarat welcomes the new year with Queerways, retracing LGBTQIA+ history across Wadawurrung Country walls, painting a mural of memories with the help of locals.

Torquay brings the heat with Surf Coast Slay, a day-to-night drag-tastic beach party, led by the fabulous Kween Kong with a stacked line-up of DJs and standout drag performances. Mornington Peninsula hosts Out Loud on the Ninch’s sunset event, combining live music and immersive photography in ‘You & I’ from artists capturing multi-generational pride. Castlemaine lifts trans voices with queer-trans punk band Hetslayer, where all can join the recording process in an album launch for the ages.

From powerful new episodes of the Regional Trans Podcast to ‘All Bodies of Water Connect’, a moving-image work sharing queer migrant stories, Pride’s final chapter is unmistakably Victorian and bound to astound.

And of course, all roads lead to the grand Victoria’s Pride Street Party in February. Together, the program maps a Pride season driven by regional communities who define queer culture on their own terms, offering a calendar of creativity and connection.

Victoria’s Pride Regional Activation Program

November – February
Multiple locations, Regional VIC

You can see all the events happening across the state by visiting midsumma.org.au/victorias-pride/regional-events.