Pridevember is almost here. . . Which means, so is Adelaide’s Feast Festival.
The vibrant 2024 programme features more than 900 artists, performers, volunteers, and production crew. They’ll come together to produce 82 events for the festival, with 95 per cent of the shows across 42 venues accessible to wheelchair users, and those with mobility impairments.
Plus, more than 40 per cent of this year’s shows are either in creative development, or will be celebrating their Australian debut.
The iconic LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festival is celebrating 27 years with the theme ‘Transformation’. It reflects Feast’s role in driving transformative social change through LGBTQIA+ visibility, creativity, and community connection.
“We celebrate queer stories because everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and loved,” Feast Festival CEO Tish Naughton says.
The hero even Picnic In The Park will once again launch the festival at the stunning new location of Botanic Park. The expanded programme will feature roving entertainment and insightful talks from queer thinkers, with a diverse crowd of more than 4,500 expected to attend.
Feast will also launch the Adelaide Queer Film Festival, featuring a line-up of premieres, documentaries, and cult classics.
Image © Naomi Jellicoe
“We’re thrilled to be presenting ten films, which is the biggest film programme that Feast has had in over 15 years,” Film Curator Dr Jess Pacella says.
Toward the end of the Feast programme, the Feast Hub will take over the newly-renovated The Piccadilly, featuring more than 20 events from comedy, to spoken word, to music. . . Such as feminist and best-selling author Clementine Ford; ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ winner Spankie Jackzon; and stand-up comics Scout Boxall and Frankie McNair.
The 2024 programme’s cover art has been designed by South Australian artist Lissy Elliot, who used discarded, dried paint pieces to symbolise those in the LGBTQIA+ community who often feel overlooked and rejected.
“I looked at the pieces of dried paint that were on their way to the bin and thought that all together they look amazing,” Lissy says. “Similarly, even though we might feel discarded, when we come together through community events such as Feast we make something beautiful and new together. That’s the magic of transformation.”
Feast Festival takes place in Adelaide from 9-24 November.
This story originally appeared on our queer sister site, FROOTY.
