The Sunshine Coast Pride Festival Is Returning This Year, Bigger, Brighter & Bolder Than Ever

After six years, the Sunshine Coast Pride Festival is roaring back to life — and it’s bringing the whole community along for the ride.

Running from 14 to 23 November 2025, this year marks the longest Pride Festival the Sunshine Coast has ever seen.

It’s also the first time the community has been invited to contribute their own events to the program — a clear reflection of the festival’s newly re-energised mission: to connect, collaborate and celebrate across the Coast.

Organised by the Sunshine Coast Pride Network (SCPN) — a volunteer-run collective dedicated to creating safe, inclusive and visible spaces for the region’s LGBTQIA+ communities — this year’s festival embodies the group’s refreshed purpose:

• Connecting community, fostering collaborations and inspiring creativity
• Providing inclusive, diverse and safe spaces for our people and their allies
• Celebrating LGBTQIA+ achievements and providing a platform for advocacy and
• Creating visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Supported by QC Health, Sunshine Coast Council, Queensland Government, Brisbane Pride, LGBTQIA+ Alliance, Pride Foundation Australia and Sunshine Coast Airport, this year’s Pride Festival is shaping up to be a landmark moment for visibility and inclusion on the Coast.

Fair Day at Kings Beach — The Beating Heart of Pride

The festival’s flagship Fair Day returns on Sunday 16 November, taking over Kings Beach Amphitheatre from 10am to 6pm with a full day of live entertainment, food, markets and community connection.

The main stage will host some serious star power, with performances from Adam Noviello, Destiny’s Plan, and The Hoodoos (Vix & Mana) — alongside roving performers, kids’ circus activities, a dedicated seniors area, and a bustling lineup of food trucks and market stalls.

The highlights of the 2025 Sunshine Coast Pride Festival

Beyond Fair Day, the 2025 Sunshine Coast Pride Festival will bring a huge range of events designed to reflect the many layers of LGBTQIA+ life and culture.

Highlights include:

• Roller Derby Bout – a fierce and fabulous clash of speed, skill and style.

• Queer Writer Workshops – offering a creative space for storytellers to share and shape queer narratives.

• Trans Comedian Christ McAllister’s Solo Show – a must-see for those who love comedy with heart and bite.

• Rainbow Family and Trans Community Picnics – relaxed, joyful gatherings celebrating chosen family and connection.

• Drag Bingo and Sports Meet-Ups – because Pride is nothing if not a perfect mix of glitter and good-natured competition.

For the first time, the festival program has been built with the community, inviting local creatives, performers, and groups to host their own Pride events. This collaborative approach perfectly embodies SCPN’s goal to inspire creativity and foster genuine belonging across the region.

Celebrating a History of Connection

Since 2008, the Sunshine Coast Pride Network has been at the heart of local LGBTQIA+ life. What began as a single Fair Day event grew into a three-day celebration — complete with a movie night, dance party and park picnic — before being halted in 2019 when funding stopped due to COVID-19.

But the network didn’t disappear. Over the years, it has run raffles with Pinky’s drag nights to fund the LGBTIQ Leadership Bursary at the University of the Sunshine Coast, a scholarship that continues to this day. The team also hosted the region’s first Queer Formal in 2017 and a teenage dance party in 2018, proving that even without major funding, grassroots Pride can still thrive.

Now, with fresh support and renewed energy, the network’s relaunch — and the festival’s triumphant return — signal a new era for the Sunshine Coast’s queer community.

For a community that has fought to be seen and heard, this return feels particularly powerful. From drag queens to derby skaters, from elders to teens attending their first Pride — the Sunshine Coast is ready to shine again.

To see the full program and plan your Pride adventure, visit sunshinecoastpride.org/pride-festival.