Your guide to what’s on in Pride
Pride is now in full flight and it’s set to be one of the biggest Pride festivals the capital has ever seen.
With more than 128 events over 17 days, here is your guide to the best bits on offer at the 2019 Wellington Pride Festival.
Community events
Saturday is the big day, as the centrepiece of Pride, Out in the Park, Wellington’s ‘‘queer fair’’ returns to town for its 33rd year.
A Pride h¯ıkoi from the waterfront side of Waitangi Park to the Te Nga¯kau Civic Square begins at 10am, arriving at the beginning of Out in the Park at 10.30am.
More than 30 acts will perform on the main stage until 4pm, as well as stalls and food on offer. At 2pm, perennial crowd favourite, Pooches in the Park ,adog beauty pageant, will be a highlight for dog lovers.
The fair will then merge into ‘‘visual extravaganza’’ Pride parade from 6pm to 9pm, along Courtenay Place.
After-parties will be at Mac’s Brewery and Eva Beva from 8pm and 9pm respectively.
Art and performance Dreaming of Lulu
Tomorrow , an exhibition of moving-image work by Christopher Ulutupu will open at Enjoy Gallery. Dreaming of Lulu will explore identity and colonialism through re-imagining of 1970s Samoan music videos.
Biohazard: a ‘‘hyper-queen drag show’’ will no doubt push boundaries with its ‘‘distasteful and outrageous post-gender performance’’ at Ivy Bar on March 15 from 10pm.
Over at BATS, a sell-out Melbourne Fringe award-winning
The Boy, George
show will explore the end of the monarchy and Prince George’s reaction to it.
Fans of Thomas Sainsbury (that Paula Bennett Snapchat Guy) will love a play about HIV in modern times.
Status: Sin, Lectures and learning
For those more cerebrally inclined, there are also low-key celebrations of pride. Te Papa will host a series of talks, including Behind the Scenes Tour: Queer Rights on March 19 from 5.30pm at the Tory St facility.
Meeting at various central places around Wellington are a number of Rainbow Walks, 90-minute walking tours exploring different queer history themes.
* For more information on any of these events, visit wellingtonpridefestival.org.nz