A Shimmer of Hope at Midsumma Festival

These are depressing times.

Every moment of every day, in what has become some kind of self-hating vaguely pleasurable sadomasochistic relationship with the universe, we are reminded of how every move we make results in something catastrophic.

It’s no longer the pretty chaos theory of a butterfly flapping its wings, rather it’s, “if you buy those shoes, a million more tiny children will be forced into lethal sex slavery”.

Being alive and aware is exhausting.

At times, one needs to be reminded that although so many of one’s throwaway actions can cause paroxysms of pain somewhere in the world, there are still things that are worth fighting for and cognisance worth enjoying. Enter: Midsumma Festival.

Midsumma Festival is Australia’s premier queer arts and cultural festival, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences. The festival program is made up of diverse art forms and genres, including visual arts, live music, theatre, spoken word, cabaret, film, parties, sport, social events, and public forums. Featuring over 194 events in 2020, with involvement by over 5000 culture-makers in over 100 different venues across Melbourne and wider Victoria to anticipated audiences of over 284,000.

This year’s festival highlights include the Midsumma Carnival, with three performance stages, tons of food trucks and market stalls from queer-friendly businesses selling wares and giving away free goodies, the Bowie Ball, an otherworldly extravaganza that brings together music, art, fashion and performance under the influence of the late, great David Bowie, the Pride March in St Kilda, followed by an afternoon of partying at Catani Gardens by the sea, Kid-aoke, a safe space for kids to dress up and sing at the top of their lungs, the Midsumma Extravaganza, including comedians Nath Valvo, Tom Ballard and Kirsty Webeck, as well as the king of kitsch, Bob Downe, drag legend Dolly Diamond and Drag Race Thailand’s Pangina Heals, Miss Gay & Miss Trans Australia International, Queer-A-Go-Go, an all-inclusive party for everybody who likes to get down to disco, dance and hip-hop beats, The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Drive-in and many more brilliant events.

The world may be in apocalyptic ruins, but sometimes when the toxic blanket of poisonous smoke haze momentarily dissipates, the view is spectacular.

 

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