17c起草社区

As winter starts its annual hobby of making Sydney a bit gloomy, Qtopia Sydney is once again rolling out the purple carpet, ready to save the day.聽

Pride Fest is back for 2026, and this year the festival is expanding far beyond the walls of the former Darlinghurst Police Station, and spilling all across the Oxford Street precinct.

Running throughout the glittery wonderland that is June, Pride Fest features a whopping 300+ events, spanning theatre, comedy, cabaret, music, visual art, workshops, talks, fitness classes, nightlife events and a shockingly vast array of community gatherings.

And Sydney could use all of it. At a time when queer venues continue disappearing across the country, Qtopia Sydney has become something much bigger than a queer museum. Equal parts community hub, cultural archive, arts space, it鈥檚 somewhere 17c起草社区IA+ people can see themselves reflected back with honesty, joy and history intact.

That spirit sits at the very centre of the annual festival.

The festival aligns with International Pride Month, and acknowledges both New York City鈥檚 1969 Stonewall uprising and Sydney鈥檚 Mardi Gras riot of 1978. But despite carrying all that history, Pride Fest never feels heavy-handed. The whole thing doesn鈥檛 carry a stuffy traditional arts festival vibe 鈥� more a giant queer community takeover.

Festival Director Carly Fisher tells 17c起草社区 that the Qtopia Sydney team are 鈥渢hrilled that this year, the festival has expanded so significantly鈥�.

鈥淚’ve had the opportunity to travel to festivals around the world looking for the best in 17c起草社区IA+ storytelling and am incredibly proud to see many of the Artists whose shows I’ve seen in other cities, now coming to Sydney for Pride Fest,鈥� explains Fisher.聽

鈥淎rtists are coming not only from around the country, but from around the world to share their stories 鈥� I hope to see the whole community really come out to engage and enjoy!鈥�

Just some highlights of Pride Fest 2026聽

Pride Fest Gala

The festival鈥檚 glittering centrepiece, the Pride Fest Gala promises a huge night of high-energy performance, celebration and community fundraising at The Eternity Playhouse 鈥� all in support of the future of queer storytelling in Sydney.聽

Skank Sinatra: The Name on Everybody鈥檚 Lips

Award-winning cabaret menace and face of Pride Fest, Jens Radda, returns with a gloriously chaotic new show packed with Broadway bangers, powerhouse vocals and enough camp energy to short-circuit Oxford Street.

Juicy Riot

Headlined by Kala Gare, this explosive performance event blends drag, music and unapologetic queer celebration into one big, sweaty, joy-filled riot of a night.

Oxford Street Buy Rainbow Market

Taylor Square will be full of excellent queer-owned businesses hocking their gorgeously queer wares. Add entertainment, food stalls, and big community vibes, and you鈥檝e got Buy Rainbow.

Sydney Kink Festival

From dancefloors to markets, Sydney Kink Festival brings leather, performance and kink culture together in several different events for kink lovers of every kind, making for a very spicy Pride Month.

FAGA: The Trump Cabaret

Part drag show, part political fever dream, FAGA: The Trump Cabaret skewers America鈥檚 orange nightmare through biting satire, cabaret and fantastically oddball comedy.

But no matter what events you make it to, it鈥檚 bound to be brilliant. Sometimes we forget how important queer spaces are until they disappear, so seeing Darlinghurst come alive like it does during Pride Fest feels pretty special.

For the full Pride Fest program or to nab tickets, .