Newsletter #14
Rainbow rangitahi living their best lives at the Pride Youth Ball
We’re in the final stretch!
I must confess, it’s a slightly sleepy Chair who’s writing to you today, but one whose heart is overflowing with queer joy. Pride’s pretty great, right? And there’s still more to go!
If you’re reading this before 6.30pm tonight and you’re over 18, come on down to Pride HQ to join us for Werewolf! Otherwise, there’s still a big old number of events happening - just check out our events page to find the right ones for you.
Plus, make sure you’re exercising your right to vote in Rainbow Windows of Wellington! How you’re going to make your choice I don’t really know though - there’s so many amazing ones that I’m sort of relieved that ethically I should probably abstain from voting!
Joanna McLeod
Chair
Newsletter contents
Pride Picnic this Sunday
Vote in Rainbow Windows!
Still more events to go!
Thank you for the feedback!
Media round-up post
Pride Picnic this Sunday 22 March!
Our last Signature Event for the Festival is happening at 12pm Sunday by the Soundshell in the Botanic Gardens. The weather forecast is looking like a glorious day for a picnic!
This is a chill event for the rainbow community and our allies, to close off the Festival.
Brought to you by Wellington Pride and the Burnett Foundation, the Pride Picnic will focus on our community’s wellbeing - with other wellbeing organisations present to share about their services. Bring food and drink along with your friends and whānau, and make sure you’re being sunsmart!
The newly reopened Library, Te Matapihi, will have staff there to Rainbow Windows of Wellingtonkeep the whole whanau entertained, including rainbow dress-up story time for the kids.
We have Neil Thornton keeping us entertained as MC, with a line up of musical acts.
The BBQ will be out for sausages - meat and vegetarian - for koha, while they last.
The winners of Rainbow Windows of Wellington will be announced around 2.30pm, before the Festival is formally brought to a close by Mana Whenua.
Speaking of announcing the winners of the Rainbow Windows of Wellington, have you played your part in our democratic society and cast your vote for your favourite yet? That’s good practice for our General Election later on this year!
Plus you could win:
Prize pack from Havana Coffee Works
$50 voucher from Brewtown
$333 voucher from Z Energy.
Voting closes at 5pm this Saturday!
Still more events to go!
There’s another four days of Pride left officially, and dozens of events. One we’ll mention in particular is Hugo’s Rainbow Show.
Expect original songs, custom storybooks and of course outrageous costumes in this novel rainbow-reading-style experience.
Hugo’s Rainbow Show is for everyone! Best for two to ten year olds and our neurodivergent whānau, but even big kids will love this wholesome, goofy and glamorous experience.
Thank you for the feedback!
Thank you so much to everyone who dropped by the combined Wellington Pride Parade and Wellington Pride Festival stall at Out in the City to give us feedback for next year. You've given us lots of great ideas and things to think about!
To the person who asked for more events - we're not sure we'll be able to deliver more than the 100+ events happening in this fortnight, but we'll see what we can do!
And for those who asked for more craft - there's still a bunch of craft events still to come this week - just filter the events page by 'Craft' !
We'll be working through the rest of your feedback as we go, and will be putting out a survey after the Festival too but remember, this is a community festival, so if you want to see something, can you work to make it happen? Put your thinking caps on now and there's plenty of time to get ready for next year!
In the news
If you relied on Wellington’s daily newspaper and/or the country’s largest news site, you might very well have no idea that this festival is happening at all. But other media outlets have been giving us coverage, and we’ve rounded them up over on our website for the record.
Plus, we’ll have more photos for you after the Festival!
NO SLEEPS UNTIL WPF 2026! IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!
PS: I may be exhausted but of course I’m still going to end this newsletter with a bad joke because I am punstoppable!
