Melt Festival 2025 – Bernadette Peters

Melt Festival is one of Australia’s largest LGBTQIA+ arts festivals and I’m delighted it is right here in Brisbane hosted by the Brisbane City Council Powerhouse.

Celebrating queer culture through theatre, music, visual arts and performance, the Festival is hosted annually and it brings together both emerging and established artists from across the globe to showcase diverse and ground-breaking work.

The festival is a vibrant and inclusive event that highlights the rich tapestry of LGBTQIA+ storytelling and creativity.

I’m so excited to reveal the first artist for its 2025 program!

In celebration of LGBTQIA+ artists and allies, we will proudly host the legendary star of stage and screen, Bernadette Peters, for an exclusive Australian performance this October you won’t want to miss.

Set to be the iconic star’s first Australian performance in over a decade and a major cultural moment for theatre and music lovers alike, An Evening with Bernadette Peters will hit the Brisbane Convention Centre on Friday 24 October.

With a prolific career spanning six decades, Peters remains one of entertainment’s most celebrated performers. She has captivated audiences across stage, film and television, earning Tony Awards, a Golden Globe and Emmy nominations along the way.
 
An icon of the LGBTQIA+ community and tireless advocate and fundraiser for AIDS patients and research via her work with the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Peters’ performance at Melt Festival 2025 is set to be a powerful celebration of both artistry and activism, reflecting her enduring commitment to the community and the causes she champions.

Bernadette Peters will be supported by Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra at the Melt LGBT Arts Festival.

Secure your tickets at www.melt.org.au

 

 

PRIDE PLANTINGS TO RAINBOW ROADS – A DECADE OF DELIVERY

I know that LGBTIQ+ community make a huge contribution to the political, economic, cultural and social fabric of this city.

From the colour and vibrancy of Brisbane Pride activities, to the many authors and entrepreneurs, businessmen and women and community activists – everyone helps us shape our new world city and no place is seemingly as diverse and vibrant as Central Ward.

We are all of diverse faiths, diverse ethnicities, diverse levels of education and income, diverse backgrounds, diverse households – but we all have the same wish ….  To create and even more inclusive city.

That’s what I have been doing since 2012.

Lord Mayor Schrinner’s team is proud of Brisbane’s rich LGBTQ+ history and culture and I have been delighted to spearhead inclusivity since 2012.

My DECADE OF DELIVERY for the LGBTIQ+ community includes – 

• We delivered the rainbow footpath in Spring Hill in 2016 outside the Sportsman Hotel
• We delivered the rainbow City Glider in 2015 in celebration of the Brisbane Pride Festival.
• We started the Melt LGBT Arts Festival at Brisbane City Council’s Powerhouse
• For the past 10 years Brisbane Queens Ball at City Hall has been supported to the tune of $188 000 – meaning more funds can be raised for their chosen charities. 
• In 2016, Council became the first local government in Queensland to publicly support the legalisation of marriage between consenting adults regardless of gender, sexuality or gender identity. 
• We were the first administration to raise the rainbow flag and illuminating Brisbane City Hall to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia Day (IDAHOT Day)
• We were the first administration to illuminate the Story Bridge in support of international days of significance such as LGBTIQ+ Day, World Aids Day, Transgender Day of Remembrance and Intersex Awareness Day
• In 2017, the administration we lead was the first local government in Australia to be listed on Australia’s LGBTI Inclusive Employers website.
• In 2018 the administration we lead was the first local government in Australia to be recognised with Gold Employer status at the Australian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI) Inclusion Awards, again recognised at the 2019 awards.