The line up for Brisbane’s Melt Festival is epic, and likely to send you racing to book some tickets to the sunshine state.
The queer festival will run from 22nd October until 9th November and fill 60 venues with 18 days of performances which will once again see Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community and allies come together to revel in inclusivity, community, diversity and creativity as the city sings with pageants, parades and protest, musical theatre, comedy, a monumental choral installation, burlesque, visual arts, theatre and so much more!
Topping the bill is stage icon Bernadette Peters who will perform a selection of her favourites, for one night only and exclusively for Melt. Set to be Peters’ first Australian performance in over a decade, and a major cultural moment for theatre and music lovers alike, An Evening with Bernadette Peters will hit the Brisbane Convention Centre on Friday 24 October.
Peters is one of the biggest names in musical theatre and has had a long association with the late composer Stephen Sondheim. Her career has spanned six decades and at seventy-seven years of age she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Peters has starred in a long list of Broadway and West End musicals including Mack and Mabel, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Gypsy, Annie Get Your Gun, A Little Night Music, Hello Dolly, and Follies. She’s also appeared in many films including Annie, Pennies from Heaven, Silent Movie and The Jerk, while on TV she’s popped up on The Muppet Show, Smash, Ally McBeal and The Good Fight.
Melt Executive Producer Emmie Paranthoiene said the festival would be bringing a whole lot of queer joy.
“The next chapter of Melt turns the volume up on Queer joy, protest and pride. We’re celebrating the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ voices, from bold new talent to iconic artists who continue to break boundaries with this diverse program. Melt is a love letter to our community and everyone’s invited to the party.” Paranthoiene said.
Leading the charge down the Melt catwalk, Miss First Nation 2025, the fiercest Blak drag pageant is in Brisbane for the first time! After an all-stars edition at Sydney World Pride 2023, they’re returning — bigger, bolder, and more fabulous than ever.
Renowned contemporary artist Gerwyn Davies will collaborate with Trans and gender diverse young people from Open Doors Youth Service to create Shimmer, a bold exhibition of photographic portraits on display at Museum of Brisbane and amplified city-wide through a large scale outdoor installation. Featuring vivid visuals and sculptural costumes, this powerful exhibition celebrates Queer identity, self-expression, resilience, and the power of chosen visibility.
Reuben Kaye will be delivering his show EnGORGed. Acclsaimed cabaret show Blanc de Blanc will be returning for an encore performance. There’s a comedy night dubbed Thank God You’re Queer, and more laughs with the Big Fork Queer Improv Comedy Hour.
There’ll be a special 50th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a drag musical called Hey Felicia!
There will also be a multi-choir event called 1000 voices, plus indie pop concerts, opera, theatre, cabaret and circus shows, and so many comedy events.
Actor Tim Pollock will be hosting a conversation about his new autobiography Hiding No More. Best known for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Dance Academy, Tim Pocock’s most powerful role has been off-screen – finding the courage to live as his true self.
Zoe Terakes will also be making an appearance to chat about Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, a bold collection of show stories that they’ve written.
Terakes is best known for their work as an actor on Wentworth, Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Nine Perfect Strangers and Marvel’s Ironheart.
Our favourite cabaret collective Briefs will also bringing their shenanigans with their show show Jealousss which featured at Perth’s Fringe World earlier this year. Urzilla Carlson will be doing some stand up. Plus queer musician Janis Ian will be celebrated with screenings of the documentary about her life and career, as well as a musical tribute from Ruth Apelt.
Also on the program is Tomáš Kantor’s award-winning debut is about Sugar – a radiantly-beautiful gender-fluid twink who discovers that there’s money to be made from ‘transactional relationships’.
Editors Rod Goodbun and Edwina Shaw will be speaking about Queensland, a new anthology of queer writing about life in the state. Plus there’s art tours, fitness events, picnics, short film screenings, pool parties, , kids events, burlesque, and drag race inspired role playing games.
The action is not just in the evenings, party hard at the A very very gay day party, Plus there’s Meltdown – the official closing party, the river parade, and more events than we can list.
Head to the festival’s website to check out the whole glorious program.
