The Blue Mountains Pride festival is set to warm up one of the nation’s coolest (literally) tourist destinations, writes Peter Hackney.
Like Daylesford in Victoria and the Northern Rivers district of NSW, the Blue Mountains region has long been popular with LGBTQIA+ people.
Centred on the charming and historic town of Katoomba, 102 kilometres west of Sydney, the area has been a hub of queer culture for decades, with LGBTQIA+ parties, picnics, bushwalking groups and film screenings part of local life.
The Blue Mountains’ queer cultural offerings reach their peak each winter, when a slew of activities is held over the June Long Weekend.
Promoted for several decades as the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend – with the reference to Queen Eliabeth II also serving as a nod to a different kind of queen – the death of the monarch in 2022 forced a rethink.
Now known as Blue Mountains Pride, the festival boasts several parties, an art exhibition, a clothes swap, a guided bushwalk, a walking tour of Katoomba and a film screening.
Sue Collins (far right) of local tour company Mountains Tales, will lead a Blue Mountains Pride walking tour. Photo: @MountainsTalesNSW/Facebook.Three Sisters Social Group events
A notable absence this year will be the long running Three Sisters Costume Ball, put on by the Three Sisters Social Group – the founding organisation of the long weekend’s activities.
Last year, the ball was cancelled due to sluggish ticket sales and will not return.
Instead, it will be replaced by a different event, billed as a soirée.
Three Sisters Social Group and Blue Mountains Pride representative Larry Singer told QNews the soirée would be a more casual alternative to the extravagant balls of the past.
“We found that for, various reasons, the ball was losing popularity. Price, we think, was a big part of that,” Singer said.
“So we’re trying to replace it with something at a more attractive price point but which still has some of the glitz and glamour of the ball and gives everyone a fabulous evening,” he said.
“The soirée will be much less formal. It’s not a sit-down dinner but there will be a buffet and people can sit down and enjoy that at their leisure.”
Larry Singer (left) and partner Greg Berry speaking at a 2024 Blue Mountains Pride event. Photo: @threesisterssocialgroup/Facebook.Like the long-running costume ball, the soirée will have a theme, with this year’s being ‘Thriller’ – lending itself to myriad costume possibilities.
Thriller the Soirée will be held at the queer-owned Victoria & Albert Guesthouse (V&A) in Mount Victoria, to Katoomba’s west.
The venue has made a big name for itself, with its sumptuous accommodation, bar, café, function spaces and restaurant, since it was purchased by Shane McLucas and Michael Sheargold in 2022.
The other big event the Three Sisters puts on for Blue Mountains Pride is the annual Blackheath Disco.
Renowned for being fun and raffish, the disco will feature music by DJ Shorty and shows by the irrepressible Denise Hanlon, who’s known for her colourful costumes, sharp one-liners and involuntary audience participation.
The Blackheath Disco is known for being lots of fun – as drag star Frock Hudson, pictured at a previous disco, can attest. Photo: supplied.Other events
Tying in with Thriller the Soirée will be a screening of the Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein at the quaint and quirky Mount Vic Flicks cinema around the corner from the V&A.
The long weekend’s traditional GLBTQ+ Bushwalk, will be another highlight, taking advantage of the area’s bracing winter weather.
Meanwhile, for walkers who don’t want to beat around the bush, a walk will be held in Katoomba, exploring the town’s Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco streetscapes.
It will be hosted by local historian Sue Collins of Mountains Tales. Collins showed television presenter and performer Julie Zemiro around the Blue Mountains during a 2023 episode of SBS TV’s Great Australian Walks program.
A high point of the long weekend will be a new event: a clothes swap run by Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains.
Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains members marching on Oxford Street during the 2025 Mardi Gras Parade. Photo: ABC TV/supplied.To be held at the Mid Mountains Community Centre in Lawson, the clothes swap will enable trans and gender diverse people to refresh, grow and share their wardrobe, with clothes that reflect their identity.
Soup, snacks, tea and coffee will be provided.
The annual BentART exhibition also comes under the umbrella of Blue Mountain Pride, with the 7-15 June event showcasing works from dozens of queer artists around Australia and hosting artist talks.
A full list of Blue Mountains Pride events, with information on time, dates, locations, prices and ticketing can be found below.
While details are believed to be correct at time of writing, QNews recommends checking directly with Blue Mountains Pride or the relevant venues/groups before attending.
Award-winning artist Martin Roberts at last year’s BentART Exhibition, with his works Liam (top), which won the Blue Mountains Pride Award, and Mic (bottom). Photo: Peter Hackney.Blue Mountains Pride 2025
BentART Exhibition
Launch: Friday, 6 June (invitation only)
Exhibition: 10am to 5pm Saturday, 7 June to Saturday, 14 June; 10am to 2pm Sunday, 15 June
Artist Talks: 3pm to 5pm Saturday, 7 June
Rex-Livingstone Art+Objects
182-184 Katoomba Street, Katoomba NSW 2780
Free entry
Information: bentart.com.au/events/
GLBTQ+ Bushwalk
Hosted and organised by the Bush Lemons
10am Saturday, 7 June
Locked gate at the end of Pulpit Hill Road
Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park (Radiata Plateau)
Katoomba NSW 2780
Free entry
Information: www.bushlemons.com/2025/04/gltbq-bushwalk-sat-7-june.html
Bookings recommended: 0414 572 991, bushscout@bigpond.com
Blackheath Disco
7pm Saturday, 7 June
Blackheath Community Centre
41 Gardiner Crescent
Blackheath NSW 2785
Price: $35 plus booking fee online, $45 at the door
BYO drinks; snack available for purchase.
Information: www.threesisterssocial.asn.au/disco
Tickets: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1340092
Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains Clothes Swap
10.30am to 3pm Sunday, 8 June
Mid Mountains Community Centre
7 New Street, Lawson NSW 2783
Free entry
Information: bluemountainstgd@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/tgdbluemountains
Katoomba Story Village Walking Tour
By Sue Collins of Mountains Tales
2.30pm to 4.30pm Sunday, 8 June
Starts at Gearin Hotel
1 Goldsmith Place, Katoomba NSW 2780
Price: $30 to $40
Information and tickets: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bentart-katoomba-story-village-walking-tour-tickets-1358179875569
Young Frankenstein 50th anniversary screening
3pm Sunday, 8 June
Mount Vic Flicks
2A Harley Avenue, Mount Victoria NSW 2786
Price: $18 to $20
Information: https://mountvicflicks.com.au/sessions/young-frankenstein
Tickets: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1385285
Thriller the Soirée
5pm to 9pm Sunday, 8 June
Victoria & Albert Guesthouse
19 Station Street, Mount Victoria NSW 2786
Price: $99 to $109 plus booking fee
Includes buffet dinner plus drink; additional drinks available for purchase.
Information: www.threesisterssocial.asn.au/soiree
Tickets: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1369709https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1369709
For more information on Blue Mountains Pride, email bluemountainspride@gmail.com or visit the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bluemountainspride.
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What a great weekend for all, so much to pack in. Cant wait