Rainbow connection: Inside track on Asia's hottest LGBT festival
Asia's hottest LGBT festival promises a spectrum of events, and everyone's invited, writes Kate Whitehead
HONG KONG’S LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Festival Pink Season is bigger and more inclusive this year, with a bumper line-up that is thoughtfully curated and backed by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in the hope of attracting an international audience.
The two-month celebration, believed to be the largest event of its kind in Asia, opens on September 12, and is the pink umbrella for a host of cultural events, parties and family fun. Organisers are keen to show that the LGBT community has more to it than just drag queens and nightclubs.
“Of course that’s a massive part of it,” says Pink Season events co-ordinator Bess Hepworth. “But as people diversify and families are created, so comes an evolution of what they want to be involved in. The sports side is a part of that.”
She says this year’s festival has shifted to include events organised by the non-LGBT community. “We’ve connected with the straight alliance that are running events and we’ve partnered with a few, for example, Tickled Pink and Liars’ League.”
Out in the Open
October 6, 2pm-6pm
Venue TBC
This family-friendly day at the beach is open to all. The sand will be sizzling, the music thumping, and the area buzzing with food and drink stalls and activities such as beach yoga. “One demographic that is growing is the rainbow family – LGBT parents and their children – and there’s a need to create more opportunities for parents to gather and create a support group,” says Hepworth, who will bring her partner and young son to the event.