‘Out in the Park’ Returns to Open the Wellington Pride Festival in 2018

WELLINGTON, 8 August, 2017 – The annual Wellington Pride Festival | Tū Whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara is set to return next year, a two week long festival celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community in Wellington. The much loved ‘Out in the Park’ queer fair will open the festival on 24th February, 2018.

Out in the Park will be in its 32nd year, and is famous for its free entertainment, with talented local performers, including drag kings and queens, singers, dancers, and comedians, and is celebrated for its community atmosphere. It is a great chance to celebrate community diversity with family and friends, and everyone is welcome.

“There is something for everyone to enjoy, with more than 70 stalls, great food, a stunning showcase of Wellington’s diverse range of entertainers to wow the crowds, and thousands of spectators. All are welcome to come enjoy the day with family, friends and community,” says Out Wellington co-chair Steven Mawhinney.

Out in the Park will once again be held at Waitangi Park and is free for everyone to attend throughout the day. The fair will be followed that evening by the after party, an affordable, fun party to celebrate our local community pride and everything that makes Wellington so great. It will also be followed on 3rd March by the Youth Ball, celebrating the LGBTIQ+ youth in our city.

“2018 is already shaping up to grow on the work done in the past few years, The festival will be bigger with more events to cater to the wide community, we have a big focus on making it even more accessible to youth and family friendly events,” says Mawhinney.

Out in the Park was created in 1986 to build support for the Homosexual Law Reform. Since then the fair has grown into a celebration of the diverse LGBTIQ+ communities in the nation's capital, and is possibly the longest running rainbow community event in Aotearoa.

The Wellington Pride Festival | Tū Whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-tara will run from 24th February to 10th March, 2018 in a number of venues across the city, and will showcase a great variety of events organised by groups within the community.

For more information, please visit wellingtonpridefestival.org.nz

About Out Wellington:
Out Wellington is a non-profit organisation that runs the annual Wellington Pride Festival | Tū Whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-tara, a two week long festival celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community in Wellington. The Festival is inspired by Wellington’s rich history of queer fairs and festivals, and will showcase the incredible talent, hard work and creativity of Wellington's queer and trans community. Wellington is a wonderfully diverse city, and the Festival programme is a celebration of this diversity. We invite everyone to explore the Festival.

LGBTIQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer, and all other members of our rainbow community. The community encompasses people of diverse gender and sexual identities and expressions, takatāpui, fa'afafine, and other gender and sexual minorities.

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