Crowd Numbes Soar at the Get It on! Big Gay Out

11 FEBRUARY 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CROWD NUMBES SOAR AT THE GET IT ON! BIG GAY OUT

This afternoon Police have confirmed what organisers predicted; yesterday’s Get It On! Big Gay Out was the biggest one ever!

Get It On!, the New Zealand AIDS Foundation’s (NZAF) social marketing programme, has been running the popular event for a decade and estimates that this year 15,000 people turned up at Coyle Park, Pt Chevalier for the gay day in the sun.

The event doubles as a celebration of the diverse LGBTQI community and an opportunity for Get It On! to share its HIV prevention messaging: ‘Love Your Condom’.

Get It On! Big Gay Out spokesperson Joe Rich says it was fantastic to see so many out and proud people enjoying themselves. “By all accounts this was the biggest, gayest and best Big Gay Out ever. We couldn’t be happier with how things went. The weather turned on its charm, the crowds just kept coming, and everybody really got stuck into the spirit of it.

“Thanks must also go to the dozens of amazing Get It On! volunteers who pitched in to help yesterday. This is a community event and we couldn’t have run it without them,” adds Rich.

This year saw several feature experiences on the day including an explosion of coloured chalk for the Get It On! Rainbow Run and the Durex Ball Drop, where ping-pong balls were thrown out of a helicopter to the crowd below - each numbered ball had a corresponding prize.

Market stalls, music, community performances and shows featured as well – all adding to the diverse and colourful atmosphere of the event.

The Get It On! Big Gay Out was also one of the first highlights of the Auckland Pride Festival and it’s not the last time the organisers will be making an appearance during the two-week affair. This Saturday, 16 February, will see a larger-than-life Get It On! float feature in the Auckland Pride Parade, and the NZAF is the key sponsor for the Pride Remembrance Float.

Rich says that like the feature experiences at the Big Gay Out, the design of the Get It On! float is being kept top secret until the day. “We think the crowd is going to be wowed by what we’ve got in store. Our float will be a continuation of celebrating community spirit and our ‘Love Your Condom’ message, we can’t wait for you to see it!”

ENDS

© Scoop Media