Regional Activation Program
"Fourteen and Nine Months" 2024-2025 Photo by Laura Jane Turner
The Regional Activation Program (RAP) is part of Victoria’s Pride, a Victorian Government initiative delivered by Midsumma that supports LGBTQIA+ communities across the state.
Victoria’s Pride is an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, visibility, and connection, delivered through a diverse program of events and projects throughout Victoria.
RAP enables arts, cultural, and community projects led by regional artists, groups, and organisations, helping create vibrant and inclusive experiences for LGBTQIA+ people across regional and rural Victoria.
KEY INFORMATION
Applications open: 9:00am, 15 June 2026 (AEST)
Applications close: 11:59pm, 3 August 2026 (AEST)
Outcome notification: By 31 August 2026
Eligible project dates: Between 1 November 2026 and 7 February 2027
Support available: Up to $10,000 (ex GST) – larger amounts require pre-approval
INFO SESSION
Join us to learn more about the Regional Activation Program and get support with your application.
Guidelines
Victoria’s Pride, Regional Activation Program (RAP) is open to eligible Victorian-based applicants. Submissions from outside Victoria will not be considered.
You can apply if you are:
- An LGBTQIA+ individual based in Regional, Rural or Remote Victoria
- An LGBTQIA+ individual based in Metro Melbourne, working or delivering activity in Regional, Rural or Remote Victoria
- An LGBTQIA+ organisation, not-for-profit, social enterprise, collective or peak community body based in Regional, Rural or Remote Victoria
- An LGBTQIA+ organisation, not-for-profit, social enterprise, collective or peak community body based in Metro Melbourne, delivering activity in Regional, Rural or Remote Victoria
We welcome applications from LGBTQIA+ people across all backgrounds. Applications are considered without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ability or age.
We particularly encourage applications that are led by and designed for LGBTQIA+ communities who are often underrepresented, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, disabled and neurodiverse communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people of diverse sex characteristics and identities.
Before applying, please read the full Guidelines and FAQs on this website to ensure your project is eligible. If you would like to discuss your application before submitting, please contact us at [email protected] or phone on 03 9296 6600.
You can prepare your application by downloading the following resources:
- Draft Application Form (PDF) – preview the questions you will be asked in the online application form. You cannot submit using this pdf, it is a guide only.
- Budget Template (Excel) – use this template to prepare your project budget.
When you are ready to apply, complete and submit the online application form using the Apply Now button on this page.
Supporting Documents
The following documents must be included with your application:
- Two letters of support from members of your community/communities.
- A project budget (template above).
- Links to relevant support material, such as photos, videos, websites, examples of previous work, mood boards, or similar project concepts.
- Please upload a high-resolution photo of the artist/s involved in the project for potential marketing and promotional use if your application is successful. Professional photography is not required, but clear, high-quality images are preferred. Landscape orientation is recommended to allow for flexible cropping across marketing materials.
Applications submitted without the required supporting documents may not be considered.
We welcome a broad range of arts, cultural, and community-led projects, including:
- Visual arts commissions and exhibitions
- Documentary and short film projects
- Music recordings, performances, and music videos
- Podcasts, publishing, and zine-making
- Live performances, comedy, panels, and creative events
- Community storytelling and oral history projects
- Workshops, creative development, and participatory activities
- Cross-disciplinary and experimental creative projects
We’re open to creative projects and approaches across all artforms, including ideas we haven’t imagined yet.
Program Objectives
RAP aims to enhance the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals in regional areas through arts and cultural activities celebrating Victoria's diverse LGBTQIA+ Pride statewide.
Projects must align with one or more objectives:
- Highlight LGBTQIA+ challenges and opportunities
- Showcase regional LGBTQIA+ artists
- Capture LGBTQIA+ voices and stories
- Celebrate or commemorate LGBTQIA+ moments
- Enable regional LGBTQIA+ participation in Victoria’s Pride celebrations
- Promote inclusion across cultures and generations
- Applicants are also encouraged to consider accessibility in order to facilitate true multi-generational and intersectional inclusion through celebration and/or reflection.
- Personal living expenses
- Replication of previous events without explanation of growth, refinement, or response to community feedback
- Expenses not related to the activity outlined in the application
- Activities not directly related to or supporting an LGBTQIA+ activity or engagement
- Activities conducted outside Regional and/or Remote Victoria
- Retrospective funding for activities that have already started or been completed
- Rainbow Tick accreditation or LGBTQIA+ competency activities
- Competitions, commercial (for-profit) or direct fundraising activities or events
- Direct lobbying or activities that promote or are held for party political purposes
- Permanent or contracted staff positions or administrative costs for business-as-usual activities
- Capital expenditure (including construction, refurbishment and renovations)
- Costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation
- Debt repayments
Can I request less than $10,000?
Project support requests may be smaller than the advertised $10,000 (excluding GST), if you need less, ask for less. Larger amounts will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Are auspicing arrangements allowed?
Auspicing arrangements are welcome where needed.
Can metro-based applicants apply?
Metro-based applicants are eligible if they are working meaningfully with regional communities.
Do I have to be a new applicant to apply?
New and returning applicants are encouraged to apply.
For a printable version of the full Frequently Asked Questions.
If the application form is not accessible for you, or you would prefer to communicate another way, please contact us via email at [email protected] or phone on 03 9296 6600.
We can support applications and enquiries through:
- Voice memo
- Zoom meeting (in English or Auslan)
- Auslan video
All applications must be submitted online unless an alternative process has been approved by the Midsumma Community Engagement Manager prior to the closing date.
Victoria’s Pride and Midsumma collect your personal information for the purposes of managing your application and contacting you if successful. You can view Midsumma Festival’s privacy statement here.
RAP Previous Years
To get inspired for a future project, take a look at the previous projects we've supported through this program.
5th Annual Roller Derby Pride Cup
Pride Cup 2025 features inclusive roller derby scrims, a gender-affirming clothes swap, stalls, and community resources. Creative highlights include a flower crown workshop, Circus, and The Pride In Us photo studio, capturing portraits and reflections on Pride to create a visual tapestry shared via street art, prints, and social media.
BY: Gippsland Ranges Roller Derby
Portraits of Queer GV (Goulburn Valley)
We will facilitate a series of workshops where 500 x LGBTIQA+ community members from Pride Groups in North East Victoria (e.g. Greater Shepparton, Wangaratta, Bendigo, Echuca/Moama & other regional/rural towns) create self-portraits showcasing different aspects of their identity using collage, to be exhibited at venues, galleries and schools in the GV.
BY: BY GV Pride
Playback
This hybrid event offers an unique opportunity for regional trans and gender diverse screen and audio creators to connect, share, and be celebrated. Featuring a panel of six trailblazing practitioners, filmed by a local trans filmmaker, the event includes a networking session to foster industry visibility, collaboration, and lasting impact.
BY: WIFT VIC
Picture Me: Bairnsdale
"Picture Me unites LGBTIQA+ people living in regional and rural areas by creating community through playful self-expression. Hosted in Bairnsdale, this one-day event provides free access to hair and make-up services, clothing through the Gippsland Pride Initiative clothes swap and opportunity to develop community connections lasting long after the event."
BY: Picture Me
Oceanside Pride
Partnering with BEAT entertainment, a BIPOC Queer led performing arts company, we will run two weeks of workshops, yarns, and creative development leading to a spectacular variety show featuring professional and local talents at the newly completed ceremonial dance ground on the Portland foreshore.
BY: Portland Arts Centre
Friends of Comedy
A travelling comedy lineup show featuring Queer comedians. The show would run for approximately 1 hour with four comedians and an MC/host. We have also been in discussion with Arts Mildura about the possibility of running comedy workshops in the area.
BY: Freddie Arthur
Queer-ways: Retracing Ballarat's Queer Footprints Mural
A mural painting workshop that invites the local community to install a permanent mural of the Queer Map of Ballarat. This project builds on the strong engagement we experienced during our community-consultation and the work of the Ballarat City Council LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee to locate a site for the mural.
BY: Queer-ways
Surf Coast Slay - Pride Fest
A vibrant queer celebration on the Bellarine Peninsula featuring local DJs, drag artists, emerging performers, and queer market stalls. Presented by Thursgay, the event creates a safe, joyful space for LGBTQIA+ locals to connect, celebrate pride, and showcase emerging regional talent.
BY: Thursgay
Hetslayer: Amplifying Trans Voices with Music of Resilience
Hetslayer’s debut album unfolds across four phases: creative development, analogue studio recording, a visual/press campaign, and celebratory launch events. This full-spectrum process centres trans artists, creates paid queer employment, and leaves behind a cultural artefact that amplifies trans visibility, resilience, and joy through music.
BY: Castlemaine Community House and Castlemaine Pride
Out Loud on the Ninch
The ‘You & I’ Project celebrates what pride looks like across generations. This storytelling project will culminate in a Mornington Peninsula exhibition/community event. Ten queer youth will gain skills in photographic portraiture to record their unique stories. Ten queer elders will be their photographic models and share their stories.
BY: Flinders Fringe, Roe Bonnici, Noa Wolf Smith Fletcher, Suellyn Gillies and Claire Thorne
All Bodies of Water Connect
A new multidisciplinary moving-image video work exploring healing, chosen family, and regional belonging through the stories of queer migrants and refugees in Aireys Inlet and Winchelsea. The project includes a community screening and panel event, co-presented with Access Health and Community, celebrating connection and the spaces we build after displacement.
BY: Blame The Shadows Collective
Come As You Are | LGBTQIA+ Workshop Series
A series of workshops, tailored to different ages culminating in a final togetherness where participants and other community members can connect and celebrate. All workshops are open to participants of any age, designed to foster cross-generational dialogue and shared expression. Participants will also be invited to engage in a filmed Q&A process -posing and answering questions to one another - creating video portraits that may be exhibited during the final event with consent.
BY: DANDROGYNY (Daniel Newell)
Regional Transgender Podcast - Series 2
Series Two of the Regional Transgender Podcast will amplify the voices of trans and gender diverse people in regional Victoria through five participant-led podcast episodes. Recorded in a single day and shared via Spotify and Flipbook, the series will foster connection, visibility, and community pride.
BY: Thorne Harbour Country
Rainbows, Camera, Action: Spotlighting LGBTQIA+ Creatives Through Music in Motion
I plan to create both a music video and short interview style behind the scenes documentary starring regional LGBTQIA+ people from my community. The music video will showcase dancers and creatives, providing connection, opportunities and recognition. The mini documentary allows for the sharing of casts personal stories and lived experience.
BY: Mieke Bosland
Pridefinder Podcast
Season 3 of The Pridefinder Podcast arrives with a new host and a fresh focus. Exploring LGBTQIA+ lives across regional Victoria, this season amplifies youth voices while continuing to celebrate intergenerational stories of pride, resilience, and community. Inspired by Midsumma’s 2025 theme Time and Place, we journey deeper into the diverse landscapes of queer identity and belonging.
BY: Midsumma
Picture Me
A one-day event in Warragul celebrating LGBTQIA+ self-expression and identity through free hair and makeup services, a clothing swap, and professional photography. Hosted by Baw Baw Shire Council and Gippsland Pride Festival, the event fosters visibility, connection, and inclusive community engagement in rural Victoria.
BY: Picture Me
Gippsland Pride Festival Day
The Gippsland Pride Festival Day is a vibrant LGBTQIA+ celebration at Coal Creek Community Park in Korumburra. Featuring performances, community activations, a Pride in Aging garden party, an affirming no-cost op shop, and free regional transport, the event ensures inclusive and accessible participation for all.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Colour My World - The Goulburn Valley Experience
Regional creatives will showcase queer and queer-friendly art throughout the Goulburn Valley, culminating in exhibitions across North-East Victoria. Engaging LGBTIQA+ communities of all ages, abilities, and cultures, the project highlights regional queer icons and history through artistic expression. A major event at Shepparton’s OUTintheOPEN Festival will feature creative workshops in art, poetry, stories, and song.
BY: Goulburn Valley Pride Inc.
Fab Frenzy
A high-energy dance event in Warrnambool, hosted by DANDROGYNY, featuring DJs, performances, and a celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride. Attendees are encouraged to embrace their individuality through dance and fashion while enjoying an inclusive, respectful atmosphere.
BY: DANDROGYNY (Daniel Newell)
Healing Together: An Pride Strength Tour - Geelong
This tour brings an LGBTQIA+SB edition of the What Were You Wearing? exhibition to Wangaratta, Geelong, and Bendigo. It offers healing days for queer victim-survivors and information nights for loved ones, fostering resilience and support through art, movement, and education.
BY: What Were You Wearing? Australia
Healing Together: An Pride Strength Tour - Wangaratta
This tour brings an LGBTQIA+SB edition of the What Were You Wearing? exhibition to Wangaratta, Geelong, and Bendigo. It offers healing days for queer victim-survivors and information nights for loved ones, fostering resilience and support through art, movement, and education.
BY: What Were You Wearing? Australia
Party in Pride
A full day of free, community-driven pride events in Beechworth, including street art installations, Drag Storytime, an intimate Q&A, and a pop-up art station. The day culminates in the Rainbow Ball, where young people can access drag makeovers before the big night.
BY: Drag’d Out Beechworth Incorporated
Seasons Along Rivers Short Film and Community Gathering
Set in Mildura, this film reflects on the resilience and mobility of queer migrants using the symbolism of the Murray and Darling rivers. By sharing stories of migration, intersectionality, and queer women's pride, the project creates space for multicultural and regional LGBTIQA+ communities to connect. A screening and gathering in February 2025 will celebrate these untold stories.
BY: Lesley Luo & Feifei Curiosity
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Bendigo
Through Augmented Reality Queer Maps, this initiative documents and preserves queer stories from Shepparton, Ballarat, and Geelong. Community members contribute their stories, creating lasting records of their local LGBTQIA+ histories.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Gippsland
Through Augmented Reality Queer Maps, this initiative documents and preserves queer stories from Shepparton, Ballarat, and Geelong. Community members contribute their stories, creating lasting records of their local LGBTQIA+ histories.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer Cakes & Butch Bakes… A Community Bake-off with Pride
Castlemaine Pride’s joyful bake-off event brings together the LGBTQIA+ community and allies to celebrate creativity, food, and fun. With six unique prize categories, the competition embraces diverse forms of self-expression while fostering social connections through a shared love of baking. Entertainment includes queer cowgirl Jess Parker and a Silver Rainbow Social Club tea party.
BY: Castlemaine Pride & Castlemaine Community House
Now I See Colour - A Pride Music Video
A Pride music video for Mieke Bosland’s song Black and White, featuring LGBTQIA+ participants from across Indigo Shire. The video will celebrate queer identities and challenge homophobia, with a screening and panel discussion in January 2025 featuring local LGBTQIA+ legends sharing their experiences.
BY: Mieke Bosland
Vanity Torso Animal Spirit
An exhibition by emerging artist Tim Hardy at NAP Contemporary in Mildura, exploring themes of image-making, narrative, adolescent rituals, performance, and the blurring of artifice and reality through still photography and film.
BY: Tim Hardy & NAP Contemporary Art Gallery
Q-Lit 2025 Regional Tour - Horsham
Q-Lit is Victoria’s Queer Festival of Words, offering a full day of literary engagement in Horsham and Swan Hill. The event includes a hands-on family workshop, a masterclass series guiding participants from concept to performance, and an evening gathering for storytelling and connection.
BY: Q-Lit: Victoria's Queer Festival of Words
Q-Lit 2025 Regional Tour - Swan Hill
Q-Lit is Victoria’s Queer Festival of Words, offering a full day of literary engagement in Horsham and Swan Hill. The event includes a hands-on family workshop, a masterclass series guiding participants from concept to performance, and an evening gathering for storytelling and connection.
BY: Q-Lit: Victoria's Queer Festival of Words
Fourteen and nine months. A short film.
Fourteen and Nine Months is a queer coming-of-age comedy set in regional Victoria. Written and directed by Yvette Turnbull, the film follows Freya’s shift at a kitchen supply store as it takes an unexpected turn when a local lesbian couple arrives looking for a turkey baster. This heartwarming story explores self-discovery and queer mentorship in a lighthearted, relatable way.
BY: Yvette Turnbull
Pride Fair Day
A celebratory fair in Wangaratta featuring LGBTQIA+ culture, music, art, and performance in a safe and inclusive space for community connection.
BY: LINE Wangaratta
Gippsland Pride Festival_Orbost
A series of vibrant regional pool parties across Gippsland, featuring stalls, music, food, and opportunities for connection, celebration, and pride for families and individuals of all ages.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Gippsland Pride Festival_Yarram
A series of vibrant regional pool parties across Gippsland, featuring stalls, music, food, and opportunities for connection, celebration, and pride for families and individuals of all ages.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Gippsland Pride Festival_Poowong
A series of vibrant regional pool parties across Gippsland, featuring stalls, music, food, and opportunities for connection, celebration, and pride for families and individuals of all ages.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Gippsland Pride Festival_ Trafalgar
A series of vibrant regional pool parties across Gippsland, featuring stalls, music, food, and opportunities for connection, celebration, and pride for families and individuals of all ages.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Gippsland Pride Festival_Yallourn North
A series of vibrant regional pool parties across Gippsland, featuring stalls, music, food, and opportunities for connection, celebration, and pride for families and individuals of all ages.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative
Our Queer History Museum & Under The Big TOP Pride Ball
A collaborative project where regional LGBTQIA+ youth work with elders to capture and share lived histories through events like OUTintheOPEN Festival and the Under The Big Top Pride Ball.
BY: Goulburn Valley Pride INC.
LGBTIQA+ & THE INTERSECTION OF DISABILITY IN REGIONAL VICTORIA - PANEL SHOW
A live panel discussion exploring the intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ regional Victorians with disabilities, broadcast to a wider audience via C31 Melbourne and social media.
BY: LaNCE TV
Queerthentic
A regional art prize showcasing the authentic stories and works of Central Victorian LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse artists, exploring themes from the everyday to the fabulous.
BY: Macedon Ranges Accessible Arts Inc.
The Big Book Of Queer Bendigo
A coffee table book celebrating the LGBTQIA+ history of Bendigo and the Goldfields, featuring oral histories, historical profiles, and creative works from local queer artists and writers.
BY: Bendigo Pride Festival
Transcending the Narrative
This podcast series and workshop program empowers trans and gender-diverse individuals in rural and regional Victoria to rewrite and transcend their personal stories through Narrative Therapy. Participants engage in immersive workshops and contribute to an affirming podcast journey.
BY: OMNI Insight
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Shepparton
Through Augmented Reality Queer Maps, this initiative documents and preserves queer stories from Shepparton, Ballarat, and Geelong. Community members contribute their stories, creating lasting records of their local LGBTQIA+ histories.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Ballarat
Through Augmented Reality Queer Maps, this initiative documents and preserves queer stories from Shepparton, Ballarat, and Geelong. Community members contribute their stories, creating lasting records of their local LGBTQIA+ histories.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Geelong
Through Augmented Reality Queer Maps, this initiative documents and preserves queer stories from Shepparton, Ballarat, and Geelong. Community members contribute their stories, creating lasting records of their local LGBTQIA+ histories.
BY: Queer-ways
Sounds Gay, Im In! Picnic
An intergenerational summer picnic celebrating intersectional pride and bringing together First Nations and non-Indigenous LGBTQIA+ communities with entertainment, activities, and food.
BY: Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation & Sunbury Cobaw Community Health
Celebrating Deaf LGBTQIA+ Pride in Victoria
A video project sharing the stories of Deaf LGBTQIA+ individuals from regional Victoria, showcased at Victoria's Pride and accompanied by Auslan interpretation.
BY: Expression Australia & Deaf Hub Bendigo
Q-Lit Anthology – Out-Side: Queer Words & Art from Regional Victoria
"Out-Side" is an anthology of poems, essays, stories, and art that celebrates the voices of queer writers and artists from regional Victoria. It highlights the resilience, creativity, and authenticity of LGBTQ+ individuals outside urban centers, offering a fresh perspective on regional queer experiences.
BY: Scratch Arts
Bass Coast Youth Pride Prom
A youth-led celebration for LGBTQIA+ young people and allies in Bass Coast, designed to create a fun, inclusive environment with music, food, and entertainment.
BY: YES Youth Hub
fourteen-and-nine-months
"fourteen-and-nine-months" is a coming-of-age comedy by Yvette Turnbull, following Freya, a teenager navigating unexpected events in Bendigo. Produced in regional Victoria, the film captures the humor and heart of queer adolescence.
BY: Yvette Turnbull
My Self: Portrait Series
A series of self-portraits and recorded stories by LGBTQIA+ participants, culminating in an exhibition at the newly established Wangaratta Pride Hub.
BY: LINE Wangaratta Inc.
Ballarat Frolic Festival Summer Edition
A four-day festival featuring 12 diverse events, including cabarets, youth-focused activities, accessibility-friendly events, an Indigenous-led bushwalk, and a vibrant Pride Warehouse Party. The festival culminates in a party bus journey to Victoria’s Pride.
BY: Ballarat Frolic Festival
GIPPSLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL_Traralgon
A month-long celebration across six shires in Gippsland with 21 events, bringing LGBTQIA+ pride and Midsumma vibes to regional communities.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc
GIPPSLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL_Bairnsdale
A month-long celebration across six shires in Gippsland with 21 events, bringing LGBTQIA+ pride and Midsumma vibes to regional communities.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc
GIPPSLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL_Warragul
A month-long celebration across six shires in Gippsland with 21 events, bringing LGBTQIA+ pride and Midsumma vibes to regional communities.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc
GIPPSLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL_Mirboo North
A month-long celebration across six shires in Gippsland with 21 events, bringing LGBTQIA+ pride and Midsumma vibes to regional communities.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc
GREATER SHEPPARTON'S ROAD TO PRIDE & INAUGURAL PRIDE BALL
A journey of pride starting with a launch event at Shepparton Art Museum and culminating in an exhibit and a celebratory Pride Ball.
BY: Goulburn Valley Pride Inc
The Regional LGBTIQA+ Condition
A televised panel discussion exploring the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQIA+ life in regional Victoria, broadcast on C31 and social media.
BY: LaNCE TV
Gippslands Day Out
A family-friendly outdoor festival featuring drag performances, live music, kid’s activities, food stalls, and an indoor sensory zone, supporting LGBTQIA+ pride in Gippsland.
BY: Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc
Pop Up Pride Bendigo
A festive event featuring live music, drag performances, markets, and the launch of an oral history project as part of Victoria’s Pride.
BY: Bendigo Pride Festival
That's So Gay
An open art prize and exhibition celebrating the contributions of queer individuals to society, reclaiming a historically derogatory phrase.
BY: Macedon Ranges Accessible Arts Inc
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Mildura
An Augmented Reality mapping project documenting queer stories and historical footprints across regional Victoria, with community input and local displays.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Wodonga
An Augmented Reality mapping project documenting queer stories and historical footprints across regional Victoria, with community input and local displays.
BY: Queer-ways
Queer-ways: Retracing Regional Queer Footprints_Daylesford
An Augmented Reality mapping project documenting queer stories and historical footprints across regional Victoria, with community input and local displays.
BY: Queer-ways
Midsumma - Self Creation
A pride party featuring performances by Jawbreakers and Scotty So, celebrating regional LGBTQIA+ history and connection.
BY: Brophy Family & Youth Services.
I Do Love Queer Disability
An art series by PollyannaR featuring hand-painted photogravure portraits celebrating Gippsland’s queer disability community, exploring their unique stories and identities.
BY: PollyannaR
Queer & Koorie: A showcase of First Nations LGBTQIA+ Mob
A celebration of First Nations LGBTQIA+ pride featuring cultural activities, drag performances, and live entertainment at Gippsland’s Day Out.
BY: Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA)
Pride Across the Ages Podcast Season 2
A podcast capturing multigenerational stories of pride from the Mount Alexander Shire, launching alongside a celebratory event.
BY: Queer and Now on Main FM 94.9
Q-Lit_Ballarat
Victoria’s first queer writers’ festival featuring workshops, masterclasses, and showcases across five regional areas, culminating in an event at Victoria’s Pride.
BY: Scratch Arts
Q-Lit_Shepparton
Victoria’s first queer writers’ festival featuring workshops, masterclasses, and showcases across five regional areas, culminating in an event at Victoria’s Pride.
BY: Scratch Arts
Q-Lit_Traralgon
Victoria’s first queer writers’ festival featuring workshops, masterclasses, and showcases across five regional areas, culminating in an event at Victoria’s Pride.
BY: Scratch Arts
Country Roads to Pride
A photography exhibition by James Mepham, celebrating the lives and journeys of trans, gender-diverse, and non-binary individuals in regional Victoria.
BY: Ballarat Community Health and Transgender Victoria
Wangaratta Road to Pride Art Project
A collaborative artwork that collected and displayed stories of LGBTQIA+ community members in Wangaratta, culminating in an interactive activation at Melbourne Pride.
BY: Lisa Bishop & April Huggins
Queer Country Pride - Our Time To Shine
An online exhibition by photographer Lisa White, showcasing older rural and regional queer Victorians and their stories of resilience and change over the past 40 years.
BY: Produced by ChillOut Daylesford Inc
Celebrating Pride in all Ages and Places
A project that replaced in-person pride events with care packages and partnered activities, ensuring older LGBTQIA+ individuals could still engage with Melbourne Pride.
BY: Switchboard Victoria
THINK ABOUT IT? DID IT! PROJECT
A moving portrait exhibition and podcast series, Think About It? Did It! honored regional LGBTQIA+ elders and their lived experiences, marking 40 years since the decriminalization of homosexuality in Victoria. Through photography and personal stories, the project explored a century of queer history, celebrating resilience while acknowledging the struggles of the past.
BY: Goulburn Valley Pride Inc *Podcast originally played during OUTintheOPEN Festival 2021 on One FM 98.5 ‘Pride in Diversity’ Radio Show.
Still Standing After 40 Years
A live panel discussion hosted by LaNCE TV Ballarat, exploring the social, cultural, and legal changes affecting LGBTIQA+ Victorians since the decriminalisation of homosexuality 40 years ago.
BY: LaNCE TV
Pop Up Pride
A multi-venue celebration in Bendigo, marking 40 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Victoria. The event featured performances, exhibitions, and community stalls.
BY: Bendigo Pride Festival
Self(ie) Pride - Maryborough
A five-channel video installation showcasing LGBTQIA+ expressions of pride and visibility in Central Goldfields.
BY: Martin John Lee
Self(ie) Pride - Bendigo
A five-channel video installation showcasing LGBTQIA+ expressions of pride and visibility in Central Goldfields.
BY: Martin John Lee
Warrnambool Pride and Diversity Wing Mural
A community-driven mural launch in Warrnambool, celebrating queer identity and inclusion through public art.
BY: Southwest Victoria Pride, SWTafe, James Cody-Davis
Ballarat Pride Weekend
A weekend of community-led events, including LGBTQIA+ trivia and a film screening, fostering connections among queer youth in Ballarat.
BY: The Rainbow Alliance
I Do Take Pride Activist & Icons of Gippsland
An exhibition celebrating queer activists and changemakers from Gippsland through portraiture, documentaries, and community archives.
BY: PollyannaR & I Do Support LGBTQI+ Rights Gippsland
Queers on the Catwalk
A celebration of identity and self-expression through fashion, featuring community-selected clothing from workshops led by The Story Costumer and the TGD Clothing Swap. The event created a safe and affirming space for LGBTIQA+ people to explore personal style.
BY: Produced by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health
Pride Across the Ages Podcast
A podcast series sharing the lived experiences of LGBTIQA+ individuals in Mount Alexander Shire, reflecting on coming out, pride, and legislative changes over the last 40 years.
BY: Mount Alexander LGBTIQA+ Steering Group
Goldfields Pride - Beaufort (Pyrenees)
Goldfields Pride documented and amplified LGBTQIA+ stories from the Goldfields region, culminating in a podcast and report titled The Road to Pride. These stories were presented to local councils and service providers, advocating for tangible steps toward greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion and visibility in regional policy and services.
BY: Sean Mulcahy
Goldfields Pride - Maryborough (Goldfields)
Goldfields Pride documented and amplified LGBTQIA+ stories from the Goldfields region, culminating in a podcast and report titled The Road to Pride. These stories were presented to local councils and service providers, advocating for tangible steps toward greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion and visibility in regional policy and services.
BY: Sean Mulcahy
Goldfields Pride - Inglewood (Loddon Shires)
Goldfields Pride documented and amplified LGBTQIA+ stories from the Goldfields region, culminating in a podcast and report titled The Road to Pride. These stories were presented to local councils and service providers, advocating for tangible steps toward greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion and visibility in regional policy and services.
BY: Sean Mulcahy
Camp
The Camp Photography Series celebrated the experiences of 30 LGBTQIA+ artists living and working in regional Victoria. As part of the installation, attendees contributed to a giant map of Victoria, creating an artistic census that visually represented the state's queer community.
BY: Scratch Arts
PIRNBIAL
A sculptural artwork by Vince Partington, a proud Nguri-Illum Wurrung / Dja Dja Wurrung / Wurundjeri / Wemba Wamba artist, reflecting the intersection of traditional culture and queer identity.
BY: Vince Partington, Part One Props.
Rainbow Signpost
A locally produced documentary featuring two transgender individuals from different generations, exploring community, transition, and social change in Bendigo.
BY: Trans and Gender Diverse Bendigo and Beyond.
What is Victoria's Pride?
A landmark program of pride events and projects held in summer as part of a statewide celebration of LGBTQIA+ communities. Victoria’s Pride (previously Melbourne Pride) is held across the state from December to February, with events in regional and rural areas. The tour of state-wide events culminates into a full-day and night street party in Melbourne’s iconic Gertrude and Smith Street precinct one week after the annual Midsumma Pride March.
Victoria's Pride Street Party
Sunday 7 February 2027
Melbourne’s iconic Gertrude and Smith Streets is transformed into an extravagant street party – with two live music stages and performances from musicians and artists – to celebrate Victoria’s diverse LGBTQIA+ communities.
Pridefinder Podcast
Listen to all Seasons of the Pridefinder Podcast! Developed as part of the Regional Activation Program. Season 3 is coming soon!
