After the success of Miss First Nation in 2025, Melt Festival is proud to announce Mr First Nation, Australia's inaugural Blak drag king pageant, taking place at Brisbane Powerhouse October 21-23.
The first pageant of its kind, Mr First Nation will see six Blak drag kings from across the country compete over two heats: Best National Costume and, Mr Talent, an original-performance round with no lip-syncing.
The competition will culminate in a Grand Final October 23, where the first-ever Mr First Nation will be crowned.
More than a pageant, it's a celebration of creativity, culture, connection and community where the stage is built to celebrate Blak masculinity, gender diversity and drag king artistry.
"Melt Festival has always celebrated queer identity in all its diversity, and Mr First Nation is a powerful addition to this year's program," said Mayella Dewis-Korooi, Brisbane Powerhouse and Melt Festival's inaugural First Nations producer.
"For First Nations Drag Kings, performance can be more than self-expression. It can be a way of exploring identity, reconnecting with culture, challenging expectations and carrying a story.
"The journey of finding your place within culture, while also carving out space for your authentic self, is one that many First Nations people know deeply."
Dewis-Korooi said that by elevating these voices, the event is "creating space for those nuanced stories of belonging, resilience and self-discovery"..
"First Nations and Indigenous Cultures continue to challenge and inspire us to create space for acceptance, recognition, connection, and belonging, values that closely reflect everything Melt strives to celebrate."
The six Mr First Nation finalists include Craven Moorehead, Terri Nullius, Sirlinski Styles, Benny Hangslow, Paddy Swineheart and Ur Dad Daryl.
Celebrating Blak kings for the first time, Mr First Nation is a Melt Festival special bound to take audiences by storm.
Mr First Nation will take place at Brisbane Powerhouse from the 21st -23rd of October 2026.
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