Qtopia Sydney doubles programme for 2026 festival
Qtopia Sydney’s Pride Fest 2026 drew more than 20,000 people, up from 8,000 in 2025, as the event delivered its biggest programme yet across Sydney.
The festival ran for 33 days and presented 312 events featuring 250 artists. According to the organiser, that marked a 150% rise in audience numbers compared with 2025.
Now in its third year, Pride Fest 2026 concluded at the end of International Pride Month. Qtopia Sydney described the season as its largest festival to date.
Programming doubled in 2026. As a result, the festival expanded beyond Qtopia Sydney’s usual venues, The Loading Dock Theatre and The BWYASSS Substation.
Instead, the event spread across the wider Oxford Street precinct. Venues included The Eternity Playhouse, Ginger’s at the Oxford, and Universal Upstairs and Downstairs.
Carly Fisher on community support
Festival Director Carly Fisher said the strong turnout showed how much community backing matters to the event’s success.
“A festival like this only works when the community supports it and we are extremely grateful to our incredible community for truly showing up for Queer storytelling, education, commemoration and more than anything, celebration,” Fisher said.
The 2026 line-up covered drag, comedy, cabaret, book launches, panel discussions, workshops, fitness classes, dance, film, parties and restaurant activations.
Pride Fest 2026 also introduced three named strands. Pride Fest: Intersections focused on cultural diversity through an intersectional Queer lens, while Pride Fest: New Voices showcased works in development.
Meanwhile, Fit N’ Proud offered sport, fitness and dance events. Bupa sponsored that part of the programme.
Fisher also thanked the NSW Government and Destination NSW, which supported the festival in 2026 as Strategic Sponsors.
Qtopia Sydney said Pride Fest has become a regular part of the Australian LGBTQIA+ cultural calendar.
Those venues are housed in the heritage-listed former Darlinghurst Police Station precinct. Following the 2026 growth, the festival’s reach extended well beyond its in-house spaces into a broader Oxford Street takeover.
