Brisbane’s Queens Ball: Celebrating The Longest Continuously Running LGBTQIA+ Event In The World

Eight years before the Stonewall Riots would take place in New York City, a group of Queensland queers were engaging in their own form of quiet — yet vivacious — protest. A joyfully queer, illegal party that would eventually evolve into the Queens Ball: the longest continuously running LGBTQIA+ event in the world.

At a time when it was illegal to be gay in most places in Australia, queer parties in Brisbane were regularly being raided by police — thwarting our community’s ventures to celebrate ourselves, and attempting to deny us both queer joy and queer liberation. 

Fed up with the constant raids, this small private party was organised in the Gold Coast hinterland town of Tamborine Mountain in 1961. Dubbed a fancy dress party, attendees arrived in an array of radiant costumes, with golden statues handed out for a variety of award categories. 

Laurie Dean, better known as the fabulous Dame Sybil von Thorndyke, founded the event with local Ron Sheard, and together they ensured the event went ahead and grew, year after year. 

Eventually migrating from the Gold Coast into Brisbane, the event took on several iterations, evolving into something special that would be treasured by the community for decades to come. 

After years of hard work, Dame Sybil and her team entrusted the event to the Brisbane Pride committee in 1990 to ensure the Queens Ball would continue on, and honour the memory of those who risked their livelihoods and safety to create a beautiful queer space. 

Under the committee, the event soon began to evolve into something far bigger than perhaps the original organisers ever planned. 

Moving the Queens Ball to Brisbane’s Cloudland in 2011 and 2013, with a stint at The Tivoli in 2012, saw interest boom. However, it wasn’t until the crowd gathered under the rainbow-lit dome of Brisbane City Hall for the first time in 2014 that this small and steady community event grew into a huge celebration, with more than 500 attendees now gathering each year at the sell-out event. 

As the event has grown, so too have the awards of the Queens Ball. A highly-enjoyed inclusion at the initial event, they are now the centrepiece of the evening, and a prestigious thing to receive. 

With 15 awards and multiple categories, the local community votes for who they believe has best represented their community in the last twelve months. 

From the hotly contested Drag Performer Of The Year (which has been included at  single year Queens Ball from the very beginning) through to the recognition of LGBTQIA+ people who have served their community, like activists and volunteers — there is a joy to the awards that seek to uplift and highlight achievements through every part of our community. 

Different categories have come and gone over the years, reflecting changes in the community and local landscape, with the nomination processes changing over time, too. The committee has now extended the nomination lists, allowing many more people within the community to be spotlighted, and have their achievements celebrated by all. 

“The legacy of the Queens Ball is something we take very seriously”, said Brisbane Pride president James McCarthy. “To have existed as long as it has, through some of the toughest political climates for the LGBTQIA+ community and to still be celebrating sixty-four years later shows the strength, tenacity and spirit of our community.”

“We are humbled to be helping carry that legacy and to unify our community in such a way year after year.” 

As the lights and the rainbow flags go up at the iconic venue ahead of the Queens Ball each year, community members are surrounded by community and allies: politicians attending to show their support, businesses owners, allied community organisations, and friends and family. 

There is a joy that rings through the air as attendees arrive in outfits and costumes that spark the imagination and illuminate the night. The importance of our celebration as a queer community, of how far we have come and far we still have to go, hangs in the air. 

The Queens Ball is a part of Brisbane’s rich LGBTQIA+ fabric and history; ingrained and undeniably iconic. Each year, attendees acknowledge and remember that as they ebulliently celebrate queer joy and LGBTQIA+ achievements, they are carrying on a legacy that will never be forgotten. 

The Queens Ball will celebrate its 64th year at Brisbane City Hall on 28 June, 2025. You can find tickets here.