The beloved Rainbow Festival Pride Party is returning to Orange this year, guaranteeing a night of bigger, brighter and bolder queer celebration.

Hosted by Orange City Council, Rainbow Festival will take over McNamara Street on Saturday the 22nd of March, with Australian comedian Joel Creasey leading the night’s festivities. Promising an unforgettable night filled with queer music and artists, the street party will feature live performances from ARIA award-winning headliner Odette and emerging electropop duo Sumner, who have curated an electrifying DJ set for the night. Closing out the party is drag superstar, singer, dancer and DJ Jimi The Kween.

Mayor of Orange Tony Mileto is getting in on the celebrations himself, stating that the Pride Party has become a staple to the queer community in Orange.

“It’s fantastic to see the Pride Party becoming such a highlight in our city’s event calendar,” he said. “It’s a real celebration of diversity and inclusion in Orange, and I can’t wait to see the community come together to show their pride.”

Rainbow Festival is Orange’s biggest celebration of queer liberation and the wider regional LGBTQIA+ community, spanning five days from Wednesday the 19th to Sunday the 23rd of March. Alongside the Pride Party, Rainbow Festival will boast a Rainbow Walk and Community Gathering earlier in the day, which involves a march from Lords Place to South Court, where marchers will finish up their walk with live music, food and community stalls. A queer film festival, drag queen bingo, comedy nights, and a doggie drag queen day out is also on the agenda for Rainbow Festival.

2024 marked the first ever Rainbow Festival, which almost faced cancellation after Orange City councillor Kevin Duffy put forth a motion to cancel the council’s involvement with the festival, citing that “council is not responsible for gender and sexuality”. The motion was promptly defeated after Rainbow Festival organisers created a petition urging other councillors to oppose the motion, leading to one of the largest crowd-heavy debates at Orange City Council. Twenty-six people registered to speak at the council, eighteen of them in favour of the festival going ahead. Evidently, the motion was defeated nine votes to three. 

Rainbow Festival Pride Party is an 18+ event happening at McNamara Street, Orange on Saturday the 22nd of March from 5 PM to 10 PM. Tickets are going to $25 here.