Following community forums held earlier in the year, the new Pride committee have adopted a two year strategy to implement changes to the main Pride events.
The community has told us that change and modernisation are well overdue and we need to take into account the changing weather pattern in Perth.
Fairday and the Pride Parade will be involved in these overall changes, as well as incorporating new and exciting ideas aimed at including all members of our community and reinvigorating both events.
This year Fairday will be held on Saturday 9th October from 11am to 9pm. It has been moved from the long weekend so we do not have to compete with a whole lot of other events. We have chosen a Saturday as we know people need a day to recover afterwards – the committee certainly do. Acknowledging that some people work and play sport on Saturdays, Fairday will be open until 9pm with the stalls staying open until 8pm to give everyone the opportunity to attend and enjoy the activities. There will be more of a focus on family and youth this year with new and exciting ideas currently being worked on.
The Pride Festival will run from Fairday until the end of the month and the 21st Pride Parade will be on Saturday 30th October. This will be the final Parade at this time of the year.
Next year it is planned that Fairday will be the closing event of the Pride Festival and be staged at the end of October with the Parade taking place in the first half of February 2012.
And the $200,000?
That is how much these two events cost to put on each year and is money that Pride has to raise every year just to stage them. That is why we have to charge a small entry fee at Fairday which goes directly to covering some of the costs associated with staging these events for the benefit of all the community.
Your Committee appreciates that these are major changes, and hopes the whole community will support these initiatives. Your ongoing input is welcome so please contact us at pride@pridewa.asn.au with your ideas and suggestions.
Sharlene Dixon, Co-President
Charles Denham, Co-President
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