UPDATE (24 January): Summer Camp Festival 2022 has been postponed due to the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Dreams of dancing to your favourite music in the sun at a music festival may have started to feel like a distant memory thanks to the uncertainty of the last few years, but Summer Camp Festival is making all of our festival dancing dreams come true again.
Along for the ride to make sure the party gets turned all the way up to 100 is the Queen Diva and bounce music legend herself: Big Freedia.
Hailing from the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans, Big Freedia has spent the last 20 years cementing herself as a legend of the bounce music scene. She's worked with the best in the biz, including RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Beyonce, and even has her own reality TV show, 'Big Freedia Bounces Back', documenting her journey to superstardom.
A big fan of Australia, having visited many times before, she could not be more excited to get back on stage and “shake some asses out”.
“I’m mostly excited about getting back to what I love to do and that is entertain and bring music and travel the world. I’m excited to see the fans, of course, first and foremost, and I’m excited to get the energy from the fans and for us to transfer that energy back and forth on stage; and to fill the room with lots of asses and lots of joy!”
Summer Camp Festival is a pioneer event in Australia, being the first ever touring pride festival in the country. Organisers Kat Dopper and Grant Gillies are looking forward to seeing everyone – from performers to punters – flooding into Summer Camp for a day of partying in the name of pride.
“There are multiple stages, interesting places to explore. The events are outside so there will be lots of space and more than 150 musicians, performance and drag artists and DJs,” Grant says. “We just want everyone to have a great time, the last few years have been tough and we just want everyone to get together and let loose and have some fun.”
“After two years of cancelled parties, loose event calendars and empty dance floors, I couldn’t be more excited for Summer Camp Festival which will bring together some of my favourite parts of queer culture,” Kat adds.
“It’s a chance to frolic in the forest with pals, dress up, and celebrate the true meaning of pride. Love has no labels at Summer Camp – it’s a place to call ‘homo’ this pride season.”
Joining Big Freedia for Summer Camp Festival is a huge line-up of performers including UK synth-pop act Years & Years, NZ singer-songwriter Ladyhawke, everyone’s favourite Aussie twins The Veronicas and Brisbane pop group Cub Sport, among a plethora of incredible talent.
Summer Camp Festival, as Australia’s first touring pride festival, represents a step forward for the LGBTQIA+ community and is an opportunity to showcase equality and the true meaning of pride.
Big Freedia says that pride is really just about us treating each other like human beings.
“It’s about us spreading love and joy around the world and through every culture and through every walk of life, connecting with every individual, and that’s what our community is about.
“We help lift people up and bring their spirits up. . . We are a big part of what makes this world go around and we give a fierceness and flavour and joy and love and happiness. . . I want it to continue to grow and to also open doors for equality and for people to have respect for each other and for themselves, just know how to handle themselves. When we learn to have respect for each other, the world will be a better place and we can love each other. That’s what it’s about for me.”
Read the full chat with Big Freedia on our queer sister site, FROOTY.
Summer Camp Festival has been postponed. It was originally set to take place at Darwin Showgrounds (26 February), Centennial Park, Sydney (27 February) and Reunion Park, Melbourne (6 March). More details on the Summer Camp website.
