Happy pride: South West community out and proud at Bunbury Pridefest 2024

Bunbury’s Bicentennial Square was awash with colour on Saturday as the community banded together to celebrate the annual Bunbury Pridefest. About 1000 attendees were treated to an array of live music and drag performances, activities, stalls and markets. The festival has been held each November since 2016 and offers an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community of the South West to come together. Bunbury Pridefest coordinator and Out South West co-chair Nickie Sheldrick said the event was a hit. “It’s taken us at least six months to put it together pretty much, we usually start around March and go from there,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of good responses, we’ve actually got a survey going around ... and it’s pretty much just for people to let us know what they need in the community and their opinion on what else could happen here or whether they like the event as well.” According to event organisers the journey from getting the festival from a small gathering with only a few volunteers, to what it was at the weekend in its eighth year, had been a roller coaster ride. A number of community groups set up information stalls in the square such as Investing in our Youth Inc as well as the neighbouring pride groups of the Busselton Pride Alliance and Pride in Peel. Ms Sheldrick said the event was crucial to connecting people in the LGBTQIA+ community living in the regions. “It is absolutely important (to have the event), we’re in a country area reaching out to other country towns and just reducing the isolation people feel out there,” she said. “It’s very important for people to connect with community and know that they’re not alone.” To see all the pics from the day, pick up a copy of the South Western Times on Thursday.