Midsumma Festival is in full swing, with its rich program of family-friendly and First Nations-led events centring storytelling, imagination and intergenerational connection running to 8 February.
Midsumma Festival is Australia's leading LGBTQIA+ arts and culture celebration, championing queer creativity year-round and welcoming audiences of every age, identity and ability.
Across libraries, museums and performance spaces, this strand of the 2026 festival invites audiences of all ages to gather around stories that honour culture, celebrate queer family life and reflect the many ways identity, history and creativity are passed on.
From playful reimaginings of fairytales and musical adventures for children, to powerful First Nations drag, cabaret and personal storytelling, these events foreground voices that are shaping queer futures while remaining deeply connected to community, Country and lived experience.
Designed to be shared between kids, carers, young people and elders alike, the program creates welcoming spaces where curiosity, joy and cultural pride sit side by side.
This year's program has several events to engage attendees. Festival highlights include MoCo: Summer Break, Blak & Fabulous, Night at the Museum: Midsumma Youth Party, and more.
On Saturday, MoCo took over Motley Bauhaus with a heat-soaked night of bold new voices and unapologetic performance. Hosted by Mora Money and featuring Stone MotherlessCold, Summer Break highlighted the rising stars of Naarm's Blak drag scene - unfiltered, unpredictable, and utterly unforgettable.
"It's integral for First Nation queer peoples to be at the forefront of iconic festivals and events such as Midsumma as we've been here and queer for millennia," said Wiradjuri queer brotherboy and multi-disciplinary artist, Elijah Money.
"Part of this thinking is maintaining the tradition of uplifting other queer Blakfellas to try and ensure they too have the support and safety network just like those who came before us have done for us.
"Our show for Midsumma, 'Summer Break', features four performing artists that started out and participated in our (MoCo i.e. the Motherless Collective) drag workshops held in 2025. Being able to share the joy of performance while vicariously celebrating their Aboriginality and queerness is an absolute privilege to bear witness to."
Night at the Museum: Midsumma Youth Party was held at the Immigration Museum, also on Saturday. Presented by Minus18, the party for queer young people after dark, Night at the Museum returned for another year as an inclusive, high-energy space to make new friends and celebrate community. Featuring live music, drag, snacks, and activities, the event also included exclusive access to view the Immigration Museum exhibitions after dark.
Blak & Fabulous - Pride of our Fitzroy will take place on January 31; An intimate evening of performance and discussion, hosted by Cerulean (reigning Miss First Nations Supreme Queen). The event features drag and variety performers (to be announced) who will share both their talents and stories with the audience in a night celebrating culture and community.
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