An accessible guide to Wellington Pride Festival

We’re celebrating 40 years since the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986, which means that Wellington Pride Festival is celebrating the 40th anniversary of our founding event — the Gay & Lesbian Fair for a Fair Law on 15 March 1986. It’s an important thing to celebrate how far we’ve come, but also to recognise how much further we still have to go. And part of that is improving the intersectionality of our Festival.

As a D*List reader, you’re probably very aware of statistics showing that one in three members of the Rainbow community are disabled. So here at Wellington Pride Festival, we’ve been working really hard to increase the accessibility of our events, and you can filter event listings by your access needs. We had particular feedback last year wanting smaller, lower-sensory events for our neurodivergent community, and I’m thrilled that we’ve delivered on that. Let’s take a wander through some of the 100 events on offer, and pick out some that you might be of interest to you.

First, our friends at the Wellington Pride Parade have stated their intentions to be the most accessible Pride Parade in the country, and I believe they’re on track to deliver that. There’s space reserved for wheelchairs and those who need to sit to view the Parade, they have a space indoors overlooking the route for those who want to watch without all the noise, and they’re also providing NZSL interpretation along with their commentary. Find out more in the handy accessibility section on their website.

Now You See Me

Date: March 17-22, 10am-7pm

Location: Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba Street

Cost: Free

Now You See Me – The Endometriosis Empowerment Project is a free exhibition. Centred on diversity and inclusion, Now You See Me intentionally represents a wide spectrum of bodies and identities, including BIPOC participants, LGBTQ+ communities, and people across genders, ages, and body types. By amplifying voices historically excluded from medical narratives and visual culture, the project challenges the idea that endometriosis looks, lives, or presents in only one way.

Fiona Clark: Unafraid - Screening and Q&A

Date: March 13, 5:30pm

Location: two/fifty seven, 57 Willis Street, Wellington

Cost: $10

Next, obviously it would make sense to welcome The D*List down to Pōneke for their own event - a screening of Fiona Clark: Unafraid and a Q&A session. two/fiftyseven, the venue for the session, is one of my favourites in Wellington — it’s got sturdy seating, plenty of space to get around in, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, excellent airflow and is located right on the bus route.

parTy4T

Date: March 14, 4pm

Location: two/fiftyseven, Level 2, 57 Willis Street

Cost: Tickets from $15

Another event happening at two/fiftyseven is parTy4T: a fundraiser for PATHA which combines a market with bands and other performers raising money to defend trans rights.

Amethyst Outlook

Date: March 18, 6pm

Location: Online or at Katherine Mansfield House, 25 Tinakori Road, Thorndon

Cost: Free but registration in advance required

Of course, for a lot of people, the most accessible place is their home. I love that this year Katherine Mansfield House has added a Zoom option for their show Amethyst Outlook: Exploring Katherine Mansfield’s queer identity, as the house itself is not very accessible.

Gemma vs The Normal Worms

Location: Online

Cost: $25 full / $20 concession

A very different queer show also available as a digital download is Gemma vs the Normal Worms and it shines as a digital download. It’s 15 hilarious episodes of highly-infectious audio comedy, inchworming into a mind near you… 4 hours and 20 minutes of raunchy, whimsical fantasy, inspired by Monty Python's Flying Circus, and the nostalgic, old-timey radio storytelling of Spike Milligan's Bad Jelly The Witch.

Weird for Other Reasons

Date: March 3-7

Location: Gryphon Theatre, 22 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro

Cost: $28

To continue on a less normal path, Weird for Other Reasons is a world-first theatre project entirely devised by members of the Ace/Aro/Aspec community. This is a joyful and insightful exploration of their varied experiences and identities, brought to the stage for our community, friends, the curious and kind, and it offers audio descriptions for some performances.

PrideHQ

Date: March 6 - 22, 11am-7pm

Location: 28 Blair Street, Te Aro

Another new initiative from the Festival committee this year is Pride HQ — a physical hub that’s open for people to drop in any day during the festival between 11am to 7pm to have a cup of tea, play games, do some colouring in or just chill out in all the hecticness of the festival. We have also scheduled free craft workshops like making zines or felting your flag, as well as game nights. We are also keen to hear from anyone in the community who’d like to use the space for an event during Pride (are you the lunchtime dance party DJ we’re looking for?). Please note that unfortunately the hub is not the most perfectly accessible space of our dreams — the wheelchair-accessible bathroom is next door, and there is a hum sometimes.

They Ate

Date: March 11, 6.30pm

Location: Te Mako Naeanae Community Centre, 27 Hilary Court, Naenae

Cost: Free but please register in advance

Another event we run every fortnight — They Ate: free queer cooking classes — takes place in a commercial kitchen that is very accessible and features lowered benches and sinks you can roll your wheelchair under, so do check that out.

Prefer to stay outside, or better just running to your own timeframes? Explore the Rainbow Windows of Wellington, where 40 retailers all around the city are competing for the best display of Pride in their windows, then cast a vote for your favourites.

Money can be one of the biggest barriers, so we’re really pleased that the Festival is absolutely brimming with free events. Wellington City Libraries is once again serving up a plethora of safe rainbow spaces for young people.

Honestly, there are so many things happening that it’s hard to cover them all in one story! I am more than happy to provide personalised recommendations though, if you need — you can reach me at chair@wellingtonpride.com.

Remember there’s no one right way to celebrate Pride, so whether you’re dancing in the street or connecting with people online, just remember that community is essential, and you deserve to be celebrated.

*Joanna McLeod is Chair of Wellington Pride Festival.