Tamworth Pride Fair Day a big hit celebrating LGBTQIA+ inclusivity

Building upon the success of previous years, this year's event theme of 'This is Me' attracted thousands of attendees from all walks of life, reaffirming that Tamworth is a place where everyone can truly be themselves.

"I'm definitely sure we had more people this year. There was a much bigger crowd, we estimated around 2000 last year so I'd say we got somewhere a little higher than that this year," Tamworth Pride president William Weller said.

With a vibrant burst of colours, Tamworth Pride Fair Day unfolded on Saturday, September 23, 2023, in the middle of town at Bicentennial Park, with more supporters and stallholders than ever.

"We had more stalls this year and I think that helped create a better environment. The flow of people was near-constant," Mr Weller said.

He said it was great to be able to hold the organisation's fair day on Celebrate Bisexuality Day, as issues like Bi erasure are "extremely important" to Tamworth Pride Inc.

"Some of the common stigmas around Bi and Pan people can be very harmful, such as the belief that Bi people can't be monogamous, or that Bi people are selfish or indecisive," Mr Weller said.

These misconceptions can lead people to believe Bi people don't want the same things as the rest of the community and the world want, such as healthy relationships, the ability to marry whichever gender they are in a relationship and the ability to have trust in their relationships."

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The annual fair day, which has been steadily growing in popularity since its first iteration in 2019, featured an array of exciting activities, from live music performances and dance-offs to food stalls, art exhibitions, and community organizations advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and support.

"A big thing that worked well was the lip-sync battle in the middle of the day between our two drag queens, Blake Riley and Luci Dream. That came off really well and was really popular," the Tamworth Pride president said.

Mr Weller said people couldn't get enough of local drag queen Blake Riley, who also MC'ed the event's sold-out after party at The Press.

"Blake's amazing. They always make sure they're impeccably dressed, and they walked around the stalls, talking to the stallholders, seeing how they were going while taking photos with anyone and everyone," he said.

Attendees were encouraged to express themselves freely, often seen donning rainbow attire, fabulous costumes, and brilliant makeup.

One of the most significant aspects of Pride Fair Day was the overwhelming sense of belonging that embraced everyone in attendance.

The LGBTQIA+ community in Tamworth has been on a long and sometimes hard-fought journey towards acceptance, with this event's success showing off just how much progress has been achieved.

The theme of 'This is Me' sent a powerful message that everyone deserves the right to be proud of who they are.

This year's event also saw an increase in the number of allies and supporters, highlighting the growing visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community in Tamworth.

"I absolutely want to thank our community for coming down and supporting us because without our community this event couldn't have been a success," Mr Weller said.

But Tamworth Pride will not be resting on its laurels, with many more events in the works.

Coming up on the Pride calendar is a Christmas party, end-of-year ball, and a potential Mardi Gras celebration if they can secure support from Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

More details for Mardis Gras and next year's fair day will come following Tamworth Pride's annual general meeting in March.

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