LOVE ALL AROUND AT FAIR DAY

 

Mardi Gras Fair Day  is always a loverly day …

Hey cousin echoes behind and 20 heads turn.  Chookie!!! calls a woman as she rushes past me.

You keep bumping into mates you haven’t seen in ages,  or you arrange meetups with besties on a blanket under the shade of the trees.  And under the same trees, or spread out in front of the stage,  you make new friends of all kinds.

Not to mention all the strangers you speak to  at the 250 plus stalls.  Like Lisa, pictured above, who tells perfect strangers … “best time you’ll have all day”  while raising the profile of Proud + Loving : Parents of Trans and Gender Diverse Kids.  Many parents are “in and proud” she says and the organisation supports parents to celebrate their kids.

I get to talk to so many fascinating people who are donating their time to provide education and support for the diverse Gay and Lesbian community.  And diversity is every where.  The Dykes on Bikes and Sydney Femmes and Bears denning on the hill.

So many different kinds of people to greet as new friends.  Like the  fascinating talk I had with the bloke from FOBGAYS which is a grassroots community network for family and friends of South Asian LGBTAQI+ peoples.  Friends of Brown!  Gotta love that.  Look out for them at a Big Queer Indian Wedding in the parade.

There’s colour everywhere of course.  Australia Post are giving out coloured whistles .  I laughed and laughed at the cleverness of that step in keeping the community safe.  Some people really like colour, especially in rainbow hues.   Like Shanoah’s beard!

It’s a long day as well for many of the Fairgoers, especially in today’s heat and I fell victim to the sun and was a bit more red faced than usual, so I swung by the medical tent to ask what kind of Fair Day the volunteers there were having. Great day, Simon tells me when I get past the crowds lining up for sunscreen.

Is it the heat mainly I asked.  It’s the heat and not enough water apparently, lots of headaches.  And of course, shoes.  Huh? Well, you want to look fabulous but new shoes or unsuitable shoes can cause problems with the heat and how big the Fair is.

I can believe that.  Fair Day spreads out throughout all of Victoria Park . From the Sports Village, way over to the famous Doggywood, and back to the entertainment on the ANZ Main stage where the likes of Bob Downe, Cindy Pastel, Jordan Raskopolous, Kira Puru and Asta will entertain crowds tonight

That’s for me, dancing away the night with old friends and new.  And colourful images like Steve’s dalmatians for sweet dreams when I eventually get home.