Thousands of people lined the streets of Northbridge for this year’s Pride Parade which won’t return till February 2012.
Pride Co-President Charles Denham said there was a fantastic crowd with spectator attendance estimated around 70,000.
‘We had big crowds and a big number of entrants. I thought it was a huge success,’ he said.
Connections Nightclub took out the Best Float for their Mad Hatter’s Tea Party while Bears Perth won the best walking group category. Equal Love was awarded best small group of the parade and judges awarded the Hollywood Memorial Trophy for ‘most entertaining’ to a parade marshall for stirring up the spectators. Best Drag went to Charles Denham while the person who won Best Individual has yet to be located.
‘Pride month as a whole was also very successful. People seemed to be out and about much more this year and more supportive,’ Denham said.
Tasmanian gay rights advocate Rodney Croome delivered a keynote speech at the Ally Cross Campus event while Anthony Venn Brown travelled from Sydney to speak at the Uniting Friends event about homosexuality and christianity.
Some new shows sprung up throughout the month including Dean Misdale’s Reality Sux, Minor Major Marlene and Taking Liberties: A Divine Bette Midler Experience. Bar Bitch Chew Art and Closet Cabaret offered punters some macabre entertainment while the Pride Queer Film Festival showcased new and old favourite films at the Astor Theatre.
Denham said he was totally exhausted but the committee had already started planning for future Pride events.
‘We’ve got a planning session on next week,’ he said.
While the Pride Festival will take place in October as usual next year, the Pride Parade won’t return till February 2012 to coincide with the new Perth Fringe Festival.
Benn Dorrington
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