Opinion: Broome Pride’s Mardi Gras now rivals Sydney, and we could not be more proud to be a part

If you told me three years ago a regional town’s Mardi Gras would grow so fast to rival that of Australia’s biggest LGBTQ+ festival, I probably would have said you were dreaming. But that is the reality of Broome Pride’s Mardi Gras festival. Broome Mardi Gras has come a long way from its start as a one-off themed party at the town’s only nightclub in 2016. It has become a week-long festival and a major event on Broome’s social calendar thanks to the dedication of Broome Pride president Lucy Falcocchio and a small team of volunteers. When I started working at the Broome Advertiser in 2018, Broome Pride was just beginning to develop Mardi Gras into a multi-day event by introducing the Cabaret Dinner, bringing in drag queens from Darwin as headline performers, and moving its mainstay Dance Party from Skylla Lounge to the Mangrove Hotel. While still a relatively small celebration, I fell hard in love with everything it had to offer as well as witnessing people from different walks of life coming together to celebrate as one community, regardless of gender or sexuality. Ms Falcocchio always said there weren’t “many gays in the village” but there was always plenty of support by the wider community. Three years later, Broome Mardi Gras has gone on to become such a massive event on the town’s social calendar that more and more visitors are rolling into town to get in on the action. Uncertainty surrounding border restrictions, limiting the ability for people to make the annual pilgrimage to Sydney’s event, proved a boost for Broome. While the rapid growth of Broome Mardi Gras has been fantastic for the Kimberley’s small LGBTQ+ community, it has had other positive outcomes. This economic boost is very welcome, particularly after the devastating effects of COVID-19. Broome Mardi Gras has also begun developing events dedicated to younger age groups. Times are definitely changing and the support for Broome Mardi Gras and the wider LGBTQ+ community will only keep growing.