Canberra SpringOUT Queer Festival 2025
- 1 November 2025 – 30 November 2025
- Canberra
Canberra’s month long SpringOUT Pride Festival has come a long way from its beginnings as a small community rally in the late 1990s. In 1999 a couple of volunteers organised a pride march through the streets of the national capital that drew just a few hundred people waving flags and calling for visibility. Over the years that small demonstration has evolved into a multifaceted program that fills the month of November with performances, talks, sporting events and social gatherings across the city. Today it is organised by the not‑for‑profit SpringOUT Association and remains Canberra’s principal celebration of lgbtq+IQA+ communities.
The 2025 edition kicks off on **1 November 2025** with **Fair Day** in Glebe Park. This all‑day, free outdoor festival brings together performers, community groups and families on the lawns at the corner of Akuna and Bunda Streets【760255757189385†L47-L80】. There is non‑stop entertainment on the main stage hosted by drag royalty Venus Mantrap and Wayne Herbert and featuring live sets by Minnie Cooper, Jett Blyton, Andrea Kirwin and Qwire【760255757189385†L70-L75】. Food stalls highlight local producers and there is a “rainbow families” area where children can have their faces painted or hear a story【760255757189385†L57-L93】. One of the big draws is the fair‑day market with more than 60 stalls run by community groups and independent artisans【760255757189385†L90-L94】. Fair Day sets the tone for the month — it is inclusive, free to enter and geared toward friends, families, elders and allies as well as queer folk themselves.
After Fair Day the program expands into different parts of the city. SpringOUT has always mixed arts and activism, and 2025 is no different. A new music event called **Loud & Proud** centres trans and non‑binary artists in an all‑ages venue; the organisers say they want young people to see themselves represented on stage and to feel safe dancing with their friends. There is also a strong focus on sport this year, with **Sport Your Pride** bringing together queer and queer‑inclusive sporting clubs for friendly matches and skills clinics. A rugby team might share the oval with a dance fitness crew, while next door a workshop on inclusive coaching practices runs for local clubs. It’s about building community through movement and showing that pride can be active as well as celebratory.
The 2025 program keeps some long‑running SpringOUT traditions alive. The festival’s Fair Day is accompanied by a film series showcasing work by queer creators from Australia and beyond; there are panel discussions exploring issues like inclusive health care, trans rights and the intersection of culture and identity. Visual art shows pop up in cafés and galleries around the city. In the second week of November there is a historical walking tour highlighting sites important to Canberra’s queer heritage. The schedule is deliberately varied so that people can dip in and out during the month rather than feeling they need to commit to one big weekend.
What sets SpringOUT apart from many pride festivals is its grassroots energy. It remains an event created by and for the local community rather than by a corporate tourism board. Much of the organising is done by volunteers who spend months pulling together logistics for each event and reaching out to performers and speakers. You can see that DIY ethos in the Fair Day stalls where small social enterprises sell handmade jewellery or homemade jams next to stalls run by health providers and support services. The organisers work hard to make sure events are accessible: Fair Day includes Auslan interpretation on stage, there are quiet spaces for people who need a break from crowds, and events are free or low cost whenever possible. The programming also has a strong First Nations presence, with local Ngunnawal elders invited to perform welcomes and share culture.
Visitors often remark on how welcoming the festival feels compared with larger metropolitan prides. Perhaps this comes from Canberra’s size; with a population under half a million, many people know each other through clubs, workplaces or advocacy groups. The result is a festival that feels like a month long reunion — you bump into old friends at a workshop on queer history or meet new people while sampling food at the Fair Day markets. The city’s wide green spaces lend themselves to outdoor gatherings, and the festival makes full use of parks, community halls and independent theatres rather than relying solely on nightclubs. Even the more party‑oriented events emphasise community: a “One Night in Heaven” dance party at a local venue combines live drag acts with DJ sets, and part of the proceeds go toward funding youth programs.
On a practical level the 2025 SpringOUT Pride Festival runs from **1 November to 30 November 2025**【971852578425451†L497-L533】. Visitors coming from interstate can easily reach Canberra by road or air, and the organisers partner with local hotels to offer discounts to festival goers. Novotel Canberra, for example, promotes itself as an lgbtq+QIA+ friendly hotel and highlights its proximity to festival events【971852578425451†L497-L546】. For anyone planning to attend, the festival website (springout.com.au) maintains an up‑to‑date program and
Official Website:
<iframe src="/https://springout.com.au/events/fair-day-canberra-2025/" width="100%" height="600" style="border:none;"></iframe> information on ticketed events, accessibility arrangements and volunteer opportunities. Whether you’re a long time local or visiting the national capital for the first time, SpringOUT Pride Festival offers an intimate yet diverse celebration of queer life and culture in Australia’s most lgbtq+IQA+ friendly city.
The 2025 edition kicks off on **1 November 2025** with **Fair Day** in Glebe Park. This all‑day, free outdoor festival brings together performers, community groups and families on the lawns at the corner of Akuna and Bunda Streets【760255757189385†L47-L80】. There is non‑stop entertainment on the main stage hosted by drag royalty Venus Mantrap and Wayne Herbert and featuring live sets by Minnie Cooper, Jett Blyton, Andrea Kirwin and Qwire【760255757189385†L70-L75】. Food stalls highlight local producers and there is a “rainbow families” area where children can have their faces painted or hear a story【760255757189385†L57-L93】. One of the big draws is the fair‑day market with more than 60 stalls run by community groups and independent artisans【760255757189385†L90-L94】. Fair Day sets the tone for the month — it is inclusive, free to enter and geared toward friends, families, elders and allies as well as queer folk themselves.
After Fair Day the program expands into different parts of the city. SpringOUT has always mixed arts and activism, and 2025 is no different. A new music event called **Loud & Proud** centres trans and non‑binary artists in an all‑ages venue; the organisers say they want young people to see themselves represented on stage and to feel safe dancing with their friends. There is also a strong focus on sport this year, with **Sport Your Pride** bringing together queer and queer‑inclusive sporting clubs for friendly matches and skills clinics. A rugby team might share the oval with a dance fitness crew, while next door a workshop on inclusive coaching practices runs for local clubs. It’s about building community through movement and showing that pride can be active as well as celebratory.
The 2025 program keeps some long‑running SpringOUT traditions alive. The festival’s Fair Day is accompanied by a film series showcasing work by queer creators from Australia and beyond; there are panel discussions exploring issues like inclusive health care, trans rights and the intersection of culture and identity. Visual art shows pop up in cafés and galleries around the city. In the second week of November there is a historical walking tour highlighting sites important to Canberra’s queer heritage. The schedule is deliberately varied so that people can dip in and out during the month rather than feeling they need to commit to one big weekend.
What sets SpringOUT apart from many pride festivals is its grassroots energy. It remains an event created by and for the local community rather than by a corporate tourism board. Much of the organising is done by volunteers who spend months pulling together logistics for each event and reaching out to performers and speakers. You can see that DIY ethos in the Fair Day stalls where small social enterprises sell handmade jewellery or homemade jams next to stalls run by health providers and support services. The organisers work hard to make sure events are accessible: Fair Day includes Auslan interpretation on stage, there are quiet spaces for people who need a break from crowds, and events are free or low cost whenever possible. The programming also has a strong First Nations presence, with local Ngunnawal elders invited to perform welcomes and share culture.
Visitors often remark on how welcoming the festival feels compared with larger metropolitan prides. Perhaps this comes from Canberra’s size; with a population under half a million, many people know each other through clubs, workplaces or advocacy groups. The result is a festival that feels like a month long reunion — you bump into old friends at a workshop on queer history or meet new people while sampling food at the Fair Day markets. The city’s wide green spaces lend themselves to outdoor gatherings, and the festival makes full use of parks, community halls and independent theatres rather than relying solely on nightclubs. Even the more party‑oriented events emphasise community: a “One Night in Heaven” dance party at a local venue combines live drag acts with DJ sets, and part of the proceeds go toward funding youth programs.
On a practical level the 2025 SpringOUT Pride Festival runs from **1 November to 30 November 2025**【971852578425451†L497-L533】. Visitors coming from interstate can easily reach Canberra by road or air, and the organisers partner with local hotels to offer discounts to festival goers. Novotel Canberra, for example, promotes itself as an lgbtq+QIA+ friendly hotel and highlights its proximity to festival events【971852578425451†L497-L546】. For anyone planning to attend, the festival website (springout.com.au) maintains an up‑to‑date program and
Official Website:
<iframe src="/https://springout.com.au/events/fair-day-canberra-2025/" width="100%" height="600" style="border:none;"></iframe> information on ticketed events, accessibility arrangements and volunteer opportunities. Whether you’re a long time local or visiting the national capital for the first time, SpringOUT Pride Festival offers an intimate yet diverse celebration of queer life and culture in Australia’s most lgbtq+IQA+ friendly city.