The lineup has been announced for the Coastal Twist LGBTIQ Arts and Culture Festival to be held on the Peninsula in January 2022 and visitors are expected from as far away as Manchester and Melbourne.
The festival has had a two-year hiatus due to COVID but it will return from January 19 to 23 with more surprises, fun and unmissable headliners across the five days.
Aboriginal-Australian electronic music duo, Electric Fields, will make their way to the Coast for first time as the festival’s global headliners.
Direct from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Etcetera Etcetera, will also take to the stage.
Australian DJ, Jonny Seymour, and Sydney’s hottest Vogue house, ‘House of Silky,’ will bring a never-before-seen Vogue scene to the region.
Festival Director, Glitta Supernova, said the team was “absolutely delighted” to see the event’s return.
“It’s a win, win, win for the Central Coast, for inclusion of all communities, for fun, for celebration, for #supportlocal and for visitors,” Supernova said.
“We shifted from October 2021 to allow more people to participate in the event as our state reopens under the NSW Roadmap.
“January gives us a better opportunity to provide the safest environment possible for all attendees, its more than time to smile and enjoy some of the good things in life.
“Working with the NSW Government’s Regional Events Acceleration program towards the social and economic recovery of our region as well as Council, our amazing corporate and local partners and over 130 volunteers, we have been able [to] ensure a magical existing regional event not only comes back but grows even bigger and better.
“And that inclusive, social, contemporary LGBTIQ culture brings about a happier, healthier and more welcoming Central Coast.”
Internationally acclaimed children’s puppetry innovators, ‘Erth’ will make an appearance along with more local and national LGBTIQA+ artists.
The festival has expanded its community programs benefiting LGBTQ youth and seniors.
Festival highlights include Love Club Cabaret, Futurismo Surrealist Dance Party, Rainbow Youth teens dance party, closing party comedy show and the free Life’s a Beach and Fair Day.
“After such a challenging time on the planet, so much divisiveness, us and them, isolation for so many, almost impossible parenting challenges for others, loss of income, we are so very eager to celebrate as people from all walks of life, to highlight tolerance, difference and to have fun together, to embrace life,” Festival Operations and Board Director, Juan Iocco, said.
“The January Festival programming is going to represent the beautiful diversity and intersectionality of the rainbow community.”
Coastal Twist plans to implement multiple full-scale COVID-19 Safety Plans including touchless transactions, open spaces, temperature checks and sanitising stations.
A full schedule of events along with an RSVP for free events and ticket purchases, giveaways, prizes, raffles, and opportunities are available at coastaltwist.org.au
Maisy Rae