|
Organisers of Brisbane’s Big Gay Day, Sunday March 9, are celebrating a strong turn-out at the annual street party and festival.
A crowd of about 5,000 people packed into Alden Street, Fortitude Valley, to watch headline performers Martha Wash (ex-Weather Girls), Anthony Callea and ABBA tribute band, Bjorn Again.
Big Gay Day spokesperson Marie Brown told Queensland Pride that organisers were “very happy” with the turnout.
She said crowd numbers were “comparable to previous years” with a difference of “about 200”.
Co-hosted by former Big Brother contestant, “Farmer” Dave Graham, the day’s entertainment began with the final of a male model competition.
Graham drew cheers of approval from the crowd when he used his teeth to remove a towel draped around the hips of one contestant (pictured).
Partygoers scrambled for vantage points on the grandstands as former Australian Idol runner-up, Anthony Callea, performed late in the afternoon.
Some appeared enraptured as Callea sang his signature tune, ‘The Prayer’, though others have complained the diminutive idol’s failure to mingle with the crowd made him seem “arrogant”.
The high point for many was the appearance of Bjorn Again. The crowd erupted in delight as the band launched into the opening strains of ‘Dancing Queen’.
Other performers on the main stage included Melissa Tkautz, Kate Alexa, US gay comedian JB Ghuman and local songstresses Kristy Apps and Kate Miller-Heidke.
The day also had its serious side, with organisers donating $17,500 each from the door takes to Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the Gay and Lesbian Welfare Association (GLWA).
The $35,000 total was $5,000 more than the target figure.
“It was fantastic,” Brown said. “We’re looking forward to an even bigger, better Big Gay Day in 2009.”
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
