Sydney WorldPride 2023 is set to transform Harbour City with hundreds of events and with half a million people expected to be in attendance. Happening from 17 February to 5 March 2023, this is the first time, WorldPride will be hosted in Australia to celebrate the brilliant and diverse LGBTQIA+ community.
What is WorldPride?
For more than 20 years, WorldPride is celebrated around the world. It is an event that features art, music, comedy, dining, and community events; hundreds of events to highlight the occasion and with millions of attendees that it attracts. While it opens the opportunity to promote creative expression and advocate for LGBTQIA+ human rights around the world, WorldPride’s vision is to be a global leader in the promotion of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice through culture, creativity, and partnerships.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, one of the oldest LGBTQIA+ organisations in Australia, is the producer of the world’s biggest celebrations of pride and diversity.
What WorldPride 2023 means for persons with disability in Sydney
As a festival that advocates equality and human rights, this is one event that people with disabilities can support. With a theme of Gather, Dream, Amplify, it’s the chance to be visible in the community and take pride as people living with disabilities who are capable of overcoming life’s challenges.
Celebrate Caroline Bowditch
(Rainbow Champion for Sydney World Pride)
Sydney WorldPride is a festival that also recognises 12 Rainbow Champions across Australia. One of them is Caroline Bowditch.
Caroline has a significant impact on the community of artists with disabilities. She is the Chief Executive Officer/Artistic Director of Arts Access Victoria and the Creative Lead of the Alter State Festival. She also worked as a performance maker and industry leader for 16 years. Aside from her notable participation in various organisations, Caroline has been a regular consultant on accessibility and inclusive practice to Skånes Dansteater, Sweden, and the British Council.
Some of her remarkable performance works include:
● Leaving Limbo Landing (2012), an Unlimited festival commission for the Cultural Olympiad,
● Falling in Love with Frida (2014), recipient of the prestigious Herald Angel award
● The Adventures of Snigel and Snigel and Friends (2016), a nominee for a Total Theatre Award
Caroline returned to Australia to lead Arts Access Victoria. She strongly advocated for the significant reform of funding programs for Deaf and Disabled artists. She took part in the development of its new Strategic Plan. Caroline also led the successful transition of the organisation to hybrid delivery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by Arts Access Victoria’s vision of cultural equity for all Deaf and Disabled people, she led while remaining grounded in the delivery of this vision in the years ahead.
ALSO READ: Why is Safer Internet Day important for NDIS Participants?
Sydney WorldPride 2023 is a celebration of uniqueness. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy, be seen, and be heard.
Learn more about Sydney WorldPride 2023 here: https://sydneyworldpride.com/
