After a two-year hiatus, western Sydney’s biggest Pride festival is returning to Parramatta this month.
Back to celebrate its 14th year, the popular Parramatta Pride Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 22, at the Parramatta River Foreshore from 10.30am to 7pm.
The event is a collaboration between the Parramatta Queer Forum, part of ACON’s Inclusive Communities Networks, Woolworths and a dedicated team of volunteer event organisers. A NSW-based health promotion organisation, ACON is primarily funded by the NSW Government.
With COVID forcing last-minute cancellations of both the 2020 and 2021 event, the team at Parramatta Pride Picnic are excited to bring the well-loved event back to the city.
Parramatta Pride Picnic and BEYOND Expo Coordinator Matthew Clark said people can rest assured they’ll see all the staples of the annual event, with a few new surprises thrown into the mix as well.
“We’ll still have all the market stalls and the community groups who support the LGBTI community across western Sydney, we’ll have food stalls and entertainment right through the day,” he said.
“This year we’ve also got quite a cool bar set-up, which is an activation by a group called Trolley’d who do a really fun aviation-themed bar, with flight attendants serving cocktails.”
The event will also hold a speed dating activation throughout the afternoon where people can register in advance if interested. Plus, for the first time, this year’s Parramatta Pride Picnic will carry on into the evening.
“This year also we’re going to carry on a little bit later, we’re partnering with Club Parramatta and they’re going to do a relaxed after party for us as well,” Mr Clark said.
Alongside the entertainment and food, people attending the Parramatta Pride Picnic can expect to see many community favourites like the Harbour City Bears, Dykes on Bikes, Rainbow Families and more.
For the Parramatta Queer Forum, having an event where western Sydney members of the LGBTQIA+ community can come together locally and connect is incredibly important.
“Before the marriage equality vote there were particular areas across Australia and western Sydney where there were a range of views that were not as accepting or as positive as we would have hoped,” Mr Clark said.
“So really that is the motivation to hold these events in western Sydney.”
Mr Clark said those attending are also encouraged to bring other people along.
“It’s very family-oriented, so whether people want to bring their own kids or their cousins or their parents, or even just their group of friends that’s all fine,” he said.
To find out more, search for Parramatta Pride Picnic on Facebook.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.