Midsumma Festival
Carnival crowd at Alexandra Garden
Carnival crowd at Alexandra Garden
Carnival crowd at Alexandra Garden 2010
GenreLGBT festival
Location(s)Melbourne, Australia
Founded1989
Websitehttp://midsumma.org.au

Midsumma Festival is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures held annually for 22 days over January and February in Melbourne, Australia. The festival began as a one-week celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride in 1989. The festival has since expanded to a three-week (four weekend) event that attracts over 240,000 people each year.

Although the primary festival is held in the summer, Midsumma works year-round to provide artists, social changers, and culture makers with support and tools to create, present, and promote their work. Midsumma is an open-access festival. The program is made up of diverse art forms and genres, including visual arts, live music, theatre, spoken word, cabaret, film, parties, sport, social events, and public forums

Midsumma's visual arts program features exhibitions in and around Melbourne from local, national and international LGBTQIA+ artists.

The festival's performing arts program includes musicals, theatre, cabaret, film, spoken word, music events, and dance parties. These performing arts events are largely produced by local community members.

Midsumma Carnival

Midsumma Carnival is held during the event's opening weekend and is traditionally held in Alexandra Gardens with stalls, food, and entertainment from 11am to 10pm. The main stage includes entertainment from the upcoming festival program to showcase and promote later events. The day is brought to a close with the T Dance, Midsumma's dance party under the stars.

Stages: Main Stage and Picnic Stage

Precincts: Sports, Youth, Family, Tea Tent (for older audiences), and a Chill Out Zone


Open-Access Events

The majority of Midsumma Festival events are within the umbrella events program, which are created, produced and funded by independent third parties who pay fees for inclusion in the Midsumma Festival. In 2023 there were approximately 200 events.

Midsumma Boards and Management

  • Midsumma Festival Inc. is an incorporated association
  • The Chair of Midsumma Festival is Judy Small AM
  • The CEO is Karen Bryant.

2019

  • Chief Executive: Karen Bryant
  • Programming Manager: Daniel Santangeli
  • Finance & Office Manager: Angus Li
  • Marketing Manager: Felicity McIntosh
  • Administrator: Matt Hirst
  • Communications & Website: Alan Drummond

2011

  • Chair: Lisa Watts
  • General Manager: Adam J Lowe

2010

  • Chair: Lisa Watts
  • General Manager: Adam J Lowe

2009

  • Chair: Lisa Watts
  • General Manager: Adam J Lowe

2008

  • Chair: Lisa Watts
  • General Manager: Jarrod Hughes
  • Festival Administrator: Molly Whelan

2007

  • General Manager: Jarrod Hughes
  • Festival Administrator: Molly Whelan


See also

References

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