Rainbow on the Reef to host three day pride festival in Gladstone

Gladstone’s Marina Parklands will come to life this weekend as Central Queenslanders celebrate pride in a sea of colour. Here’s what we know.

Gladstone’s Marina Parklands will come to life this weekend as Central Queenslanders celebrate pride in a sea of colour.

Rainbow on the Reef, a Gladstone based LGBTQIA+ organisation, will host celebrations in the Harbour City over three days, from June 10-12.

Rainbow on the Reef secretary Lee Griffiths said the organisation formed in July last year with the aim of setting a pride festival in Gladstone.

“A couple of us came together after reading an article around health stats in the LGBT+ community,” Mr Griffiths said.

“We had a lot of people that came to our first formal meeting talk about how they felt socially isolated and didn’t have a sense of connection to the community and that demonstrated a bit of a need.

“Our ultimate aim is to cultivate a sense of pride and diversity for the region and we do that through events, advocacy, education and partnering with organisations.

“One of the things we wanted to do was set up a pride festival.

“There is no such event up and down the coast, from Cairns down to the Sunshine Coast.

“We don’t have opportunities in our community to connect, either with one another or with services or to celebrate our diversity and our pride.

“It’s also about providing our community the opportunity to see there are other people like them and that live their experiences.”

Mr Griffiths, who identifies as gay, was originally from Leeds the United Kingdom and had been living on and off in Gladstone since 2018.

He said he felt a sense of disconnection from the LGBTQIA+ community in Gladstone and thought it would be tough growing up as a younger person and not having that sense of connection to community members and services.

“That was the reason behind me saying to people let’s get together and have a chat about having a fair day,” he said.

Rainbow on the Reef’s pride festival will launch on Friday with a double film screening at Gladstone Cinemas at 7.30pm.

The Fabulous Film Night will include a screening of award-winning Australian short film Sparkles followed by The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

To make the night even more special, actor and writer of Sparkles, Tina Fielding, will be travelling to Gladstone for the screening.

Tickets for the Fabulous Film Night are $10 per person.

Gladstone’s Marina Parklands will come alive on Saturday from 10am for a fun-filled fair day.

The free event allows the LGBTQIA+ community to come together with friends, family and allies and connect and celebrate diversity.

“The fair day will feature live entertainment from performing artists such as DJ Dolly Llama, Garret Lyon, Josh Deveta, Olivia Ruth, and the popular local band Redthorn,” Rainbow on the Reef president Heather Richards said.

“The day will be hosted by the fabulous Wanda Dparke who will treat the crowd to a special performance.

“Leisha Luck, who first met Gladstone audiences at last year’s Rainbow in the Gardens, will also return to the stage.

“We also have food vendors, lawn games, and information stalls from specialised LGBTQIA+ services and support organisations such as Pride In Law, Pflag and Queensland Council for LGBTI Health.

“We are very excited to be bringing a weekend long celebration of pride to the Gladstone region.”

Following the fair day, Gladstone Reef Hotel will host the evening’s celebrations from 7.30pm beginning with Balls Out Bingo, hosted by live singer and multi-award-winning cabaret drag performer Candy Surprise.

Tickets for Balls Out Bingo are $20.

After Balls Out Bingo, the celebrations will continue with Rainbows @ The Reef from 9pm, with ticket holders invited to come dressed in their favourite colour of the rainbow and see the rest of the night out on the dance floor.

The night will feature a special performance from Candy Surprise with tickets priced at $10 per person.

DJ Dolly Llama will be on the decks at The Reef Rooftop Bar for a Sunny Sunday session to end the weekend.

Ticket holders can soak up the good vibes and banging tunes from 11am to 3pm with tickets priced at $15 per person.

Mr Griffiths said he hoped the pride festival would create a sense of connection and enabled people to be proud about being their authentic selves.

“Come along, have fun, celebrate, be yourself and connect with like minded people and services,” he said.

“If you’re an ally or a family member or friend that has questions there are services here that specialise in what they do; come and have a chat with them, have fun and buy your tickets.”

Tickets to the Fabulous Film Night, Balls out Bingo and after-party and Sunny Sundays are on sale now and can be purchased at Humanitix.

For more information, see the Rainbow on the Reef Facebook page.