The prominent queer pub of Sydney’s Inner West, the Impy has opened its doors once again – and yes, you can make a booking for drag ‘n’ dine. This hallowed hotel, which features in the hit film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has been through a couple of facelifts since it was ordained as a queer safe space in the ’80s. With bars upstairs and downstairs, and a basement for underground boogies, this is a place where you can take your nan for dinner and entertainment one night, and get down and dirty with your bad self the next.
Sydney can be a pretty wonderful place to be under the rainbow. June marks World Pride Month, when cities and communities around the world celebrate and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. Down Under, the bulk of our pride celebrations fall during our summer – when the weather is a little more conducive to booty shorts, chaps and mesh singlets – with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and famous Parade in February, pre-ceeded by Melbourne’s Midsumma and followed by regional Mardi Gras celebrations around the country.
However, despite everything going on in the world, Sydney’s queer community is determined to fly the rainbow flag down under for World Pride Month. After all, we are gearing up to host WorldPride 2023 after winning an international bid.
As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, some of Sydney’s queer venues are starting to welcome back punters, and there’s more venues we’re excited to get back to as the city opens up. Sydney Pride Festival has gone digital for 2020 with Love Stream, an online festival of LGBT+ events running until June 30. There’s also podcasts and livestreamed happenings that have been keeping queer community connected through the great iso. We’ve rounded up some highlights below in a by no means definitive guide to the best of LGBTQ+ culture in Sydney.
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