Perth Voice Interactive

HYDE PARK’S annual Pride Fairday may be on the move, with Perth council keen to pinch the event from neighbouring Vincent.

Pride has two major events – the evening Pride Parade in Northbridge and the daytime Fairday in Hyde Park.

Perth council spent $210,000 funding Pride Parade in 2022 and it brought in 30,500 people.

Over the boundary, Vincent council funded the Fairday for just $20,000, helping bring in 37,000 people.

PrideWA’s now asking Perth council to increase its 2023 funding to $350,000. The overall cost of the parade is $600,000.

Perth council’s funding assessment panel says if PrideWA wants that much money it should bring Fairday “within the city boundaries”, and has recommended the same $210,000 funding as last year.

The assessment panel was also unhappy that signs acknowledging the council’s contribution weren’t displayed along the parade route last yhear.

This week PrideWA president Michael Felix dropped a bombshell on a Perth council briefing and revealed a citywards move was being contemplated for the future.

“We are keen to explore how we can incorporate Pride Fairday within the city boundaries for 2024 and into the future,” Mr Felix told councillors at their June 20 briefing, one week before they’re due to vote on this year’s Pride funding. 

Mr Felix said the move to the city was being considered as part of a plan to grow the whole Pride festival into a destination event to bring in more people from overseas.

Lord mayor Basil Zempilas was beaming at the news: “I’m certain my fellow councillors’ and staff members’ ears pricked up when we heard you say – at the risk 

of tipping Vincent off – that the opportunity to bring Pride Fairday into the City of Perth was one that you were keen to explore.”

A couple hours later at the June 20 Vincent council meeting, mayor Emma Cole reported the solemn news to councillors. 

“I would be desperately sad if this was lost from the City of Vincent,” mayor Emma Cole said. “I believe its home is at Hyde Park.”

The parade generates about $4 million of local economic activity, and the Fairday generates about $1 million. Ms Cole said she’d heard from PrideWA that the economic activity generated from the Fairday was a key appeal for Perth council wanting to bring them over.

“Which is a little disheartening when we have a $250,000 [events funding] budget and the City of Perth has a $3 million budget,” Ms Cole said.

She proposed increasing their contribution to the 2023 Fairday from $20,000 to $25,000, which was endorsed by councillors.

by DAVID BELL