Note: You are viewing the website for the 2017 Auckland Pride Festival. Visit aucklandpride.org.nz for the most current Festival website.

Media Release

26 August 2016

Auckland Pride Festival and Parade 2017 Dates Announced

The Auckland Pride Festival Board is delighted to announce the key dates for next February’s Auckland Pride Festival and Parade 2017.

New Zealand’s biggest and best programme of events for and by the Rainbow communities (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Takatāpui, Intersex, Queer and Questioning, and their whānau and friends), the Auckland Pride Festival 2017 will run for two weeks and three weekends, commencing on Friday 10 February and concluding on Sunday 26 February.

The 2017 Festival will officially open with a dawn ceremony on Friday 10 February. Later that evening, the much-loved opening gala event will return to Q Theatre, providing audiences with an opportunity to check out the stars and shows that will shine throughout the coming fortnight of arts, culture and fabulous festivities.

The 2017 Festival will culminate when the iconic Auckland Pride Parade processes the length of Ponsonby Road on Saturday 25 February.

Festival and Parade registrations will be open on the Auckland Pride Festival website from late September. So mark the dates in your diary now!

Founding Festival Director Returns

Auckland Pride Festival’s founding Festival Director Julian Cook is returning to the role that he helped create across the first two successful festivals.

“We are delighted to have Julian back on board with Pride,” says Board Co-Chair Kirsten Sibbit. “His proven track record with the Auckland Pride Festival, together with his enthusiasm, passion for the Rainbow communities, strong work ethic and vision for the event, made him our standout candidate for the role. I’m excited to see what he’s able to deliver in 2017 and beyond.”

Julian Cook is a widely respected event manager and art director who has produced many of Auckland’s most memorable events for Rainbow audiences across a career that spans three decades.

“It feels a lot like coming home,” says Cook. “But there’s heaps of groundwork that needs to happen before we can start building the 2017 Pride programme of events. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be analysing feedback from recent festivals, assisting the Board to implement processes that respond to concerns raised at the community hui, and meeting with the many artistic, cultural and organisational stakeholders who make the Auckland Pride Festival’s annual programme so uniquely vibrant and diverse.”

The Festival Director encourages any individuals or organisations who wish to provide feedback or input ahead of the 2017 Auckland Pride Festival to make contact at their earliest convenience.

Auckland Pride Festival Contacts

Keep watching the Auckland Pride Festival website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates as the Auckland Pride Festival 2017 starts taking shape!

To offer feedback or to get actively involved in the Auckland Pride Festival 2017, please contact Festival Director Julian Cook: [email protected]

For all other queries, please contact Auckland Pride Festival Co-Chair Kirsten Sibbit: [email protected]

Note: You are viewing the website for the 2017 Auckland Pride Festival. Visit aucklandpride.org.nz for the most current Festival website.

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