EXCLUSIVE
The City of Fremantle has confirmed that Freo PrideFEST has been cancelled for 2026 following the loss of key funding support. The event made its debut in 2024 and expanded the city’s Pride celebrations beyond the traditional inner-city locations.
“Regrettably, Freo Pride Fest will not be returning this year. The decision was largely driven by the discontinuation of funding support from the Department of Communities, which had previously enabled us to deliver this event,” a spokesperson told OUTinPerth.
“It’s not the outcome we or our presenting partners had hoped for. Freo Pride Fest has been warmly welcomed by the community, local businesses and visitors to Fremantle over the past two years.
“We remain committed to supporting and celebrating our LGBTIQA+SB community and hope that some smaller-scale activities held during Pride Month this year can help maintain momentum while we plan a more sustainable approach in the future.”
The city had been well on the way to organising a 2026 event, having previously announced a 1 November date and issued a call for a young artist to design this year’s poster.
Peter Foster, Chair of Pride WA, said the news was disappointing but promised that the main PrideFEST celebrations in November would be spectacular.
“Pride WA was saddened to learn late last month that Freo Pride Fest 2026 would not be happening this year due to resourcing or capacity constraints at the City of Fremantle.”
Foster said Pride WA had been proud to promote and participate in Freo Pride Fest in 2025 and acknowledged the contributions of Fremantle Headspace, FOMO and Neami National to the event.
“Pride events play an important role in promoting visibility, inclusion and belonging while celebrating diversity, fostering community connection and advocating for human rights.
“Pride WA is hard at work planning for PrideFEST 2026 with the support of our sponsors and partners and is looking forward to sharing this year’s theme with the community very soon,” Foster said.
Leala Brekalo, owner of Fremantle’s Flaming Galah bar, echoed Foster’s praise for the organisers of the event over the past two years.
“Though the Freo event won’t be taking place, we’ll still be working with Pride WA to once again host Hops With Her as part of the PrideFEST program. We’re also cooking up a special Pride-filled party to give the south-of-the-river community something to celebrate during November,” Brekalo said.
