Brisbane’s dedicated open-access festival of queer art and culture is strutting back into town for its second year in 2024. Glitter and sparkles will be sprinkled across four festival hubs and 70-plus venues for this vibrant celebration of Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community. The rainbow road will stretch from Brisbane Powerhouse to iconic venues like The Princess Theatre, The Tivoli and The Wickham, and even further into the suburbs of Woolloongabba, Wynnum, Logan and Ipswich.
You can expect to laugh, cheer, cry and cringe at more than 120 events and 220 individual performances, spread across three mammoth weeks from October 23 to November 10. From electrifying installations and a dazzling boat parade to drag shows, intimate gigs and late-night parties, you’ll find plenty of places to dive into the fun and let loose.
First Nations Drag performer Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz) will headline Melt’s opening weekend with a cheeky cabaret show dedicated to the legendary Tina Turner. You can also boogie with Ange Ponting in Bad Lesbian as she soul-searches her way through iconic sapphic bangers; laugh your heart out at the hilarious improvisation night Thank God You're Queer; or get all glammed up for Club Broadway’s musical extravaganza A Wicked Halloween Ball.
Acclaimed New York-based photographer Spencer Tunick will also return Down Under (no pun intended) to shoot 10,000 naked bodies on Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge before sunrise on Sunday, October 27. Those keen to strip down for the shoot can express their interest here.
Throughout the next two weeks of the festival, party people can also get around social sports, markets, open mic nights, art exhibitions, panel discussions, music gigs, movie screenings and more. The program is so hot, we literally can’t handle it.
You can bet Melt Festival will go out with a bang in 2024. On the closing weekend, families can join the festivities at a Pride Picnic at Southbank and witness Brisbane River transform into a sea of colour and glitter for the River Pride Parade on November 9.
All in all, Melt Festival is set to be one giant rainbow explosion of community, diversity, inclusivity and creative expression – and we’d call that an absolute slay.