Newcastle Pride has been named City of Newcastle Community Group of the Year for 2020 at the annual City of Newcastle Australia Day awards.

The prestigious award comes after two successful Newcastle Pride Festivals held in August of 2018 and 2019 as well as several other successful community events held for the LGBTQIA+ and the wider Hunter region. The most recent community event being “A Queer Bushfire Fundraiser” held on Saturday 25 January 2020 in which Newcastle Pride partnered with Timber Productions to raise over $7,000 for local wildlife charities.

Newcastle Pride’s annual Pride Festival is a series of fabulous ‘out n proud’ events including LGBTQIA+ arts and culture, parties and their signature Fair Day at Foreshore Park. All events are open to the wider community with events like Fair Day bringing together LGBTQIA+ people and their families while providing a space to belong alongside the mainstream community. The festival is a chance for the wider community to join in harmony and learn more about queer life and culture.

With the success of the 2018 and 2019 festivals, in 2020 Newcastle Pride is expanding the festival to be held over 3 weeks from 14 – 30 August 2020. The festival will also include events to be held in Lake Macquarie and Maitland, allowing Newcastle Pride to reach out to the more isolated regional communities that currently have no established LGBTQIA+ events or places to meet. Newcastle Pride is also launching the Newcastle Pride “Youth Pride Tribe” social group, which will provide the queer youth of the region with a safe social space, support, workshops and events. Newcastle Pride also plans to host a “queer youth prom event” in the 2020 festival program. Other LGBTQIA+ and culturally diverse groups are also invited to stage their own event in the 2020 program, with expressions of interest opening shortly.

Newcastle Pride President Lee-Anne McDougall would like to acknowledge the team of talented and passionate people who were part of the 2019 Newcastle Pride committee: Ivan Skaines (Vice President), Ed Abbott, Jay Bellamy, Hellen Richards, Sally Franco, Debbie Hanson and Dr Geoff MacFarlane.