Auckland Pride Festival Returns for 2019 with a Colourful Lineup
The two-week festival is loaded with over 80 events, showcasing music, theatre, visual arts, drag, comedy, literature, open days and parties.
A massive gay rainbow will shine over Tāmaki Makaurau from February 1-17 as Auckland Pride Festival lands for 2019.
The theme for this year's edition is #ourpride, which organisers are calling a "nod to returning pride to the people of our magnificent city, and ensuring celebrations reach all corners of the region". The program announcement comes after major calendar event Pride Parade was pulled late last year. Instead, Auckland Pride Board plans to host a pride walk on February 9, from Albert Park to Myers Park, to "encourage all members of the rainbow communities to feel safe and included in the event."
Elsewhere, the two-week festival is loaded with over 80 events, showcasing music, theatre, visual arts, drag, comedy, literature, open days and parties.
Director and writer Shane Bosher will present Homos, or Everyone In America as a provocative and beautiful examination of gay love; queer comedians Chris Parker, James Mustapic and Ray Shipley will spice up Valentine's Day with a comedy special at The Classic; Snapchat comedian Tom Sainsbury will bring two projects to Q Theatre, including "radical explosion of dance, drag and prose", There She Is, and musical comedy Karaoke Boiz; plus South Auckland collective Coven will open their 2019 program with new work Ethera.
Returning for 2019 is the Takatāpui Film Showcase, a celebration of indigenous LGBTQ+ cinema across five films at Academy Cinemas. The Ending HIV Big Gay Out celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new layout in Coyle Park on Sunday, February 10, and the only LGBTQ+ writers festival in the country Same Same But Different expands with a full program across AUT, Basement Theatre and Auckland Art Gallery.
International events include drag superstar Trixie Mattel who will be visiting Auckland for the first time and closing out festivities on February 17 with music comedy spectacular Skinny Legend. So Pop! is the ultimate throwback concert experience, rounding up 90s acts Aqua, Vengaboys, Blue, and B*witched at Spark Arena on February 5.
Auckland Pride Festival runs from February 1-17. For more information and the full program, visit aucklandpride.org.nz.
Image: Auckland Pride Festival.
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