All the colours of the rainbow
Tiki Taane fires up the crowd. Photo / Mark Russell
Taupō’s Rainbow community is set to dazzle this weekend with some top notch entertainment planned for the annual Taupō Pride Festival.
Headlining the Saturday afternoon festival will be Tiki Taane who organisers say is the perfect choice because of “an incredible ability to unify and connect his audience”.
Also grabbing the spotlight is Richard O’Brien, perhaps best known as the author of the book, music and lyrics of The Rocky Horror Show which, since 1973 has remained in continuous production somewhere in the world.
His latest offering is The Kingdom of Bling, a piece written and performed across Aotearoa with all rights conferred to the Starship Children’s Hospital in perpetuity.
The festival-style event is being held in and around the Great Lake Centre from 11.30am-5pm and will include local musicians Bliss, Jodecii, Sue Brown and Taupō Pride youth leader Jess Riley.
Drag queens from around the country will perform throughout the day leading to headline acts of Richard O’Brien and Tiki Taane.
Organiser Toni Neve said it was just the third time they had held the Pride Festival, with the first one pulling in a crowd of up to 2000 people.
Last year’s event was affected by rain, but the main entertainment would be inside the Great Lake Centre this year, with food stalls and a children’s zone provided so adults can enjoy the entertainment.
“Everyone is in it for the same reason – celebrating life and people. It is a big celebration, to bring people together without barriers.”
She said the community had rallied around the event and sponsorship from local businesses has made the free event possible, including a generous donation from Drop Zone that paid for the entertainment.
There would be an R-18 afterparty at the Cornerstone Bar which did have a cover charge.
Toni said she had identified a need in the community about 10 years ago.
“There were pockets of our community that do not cross over so here we can meet in the same space with the same purpose.”
She said various events were held throughout the year by Taupō Pride so members of their community didn’t have to feel like they are alone.
Taupō Pride’s goal is to “enhance and deepen Rainbow connections within our community and wider districts. We provide a safe and inclusive space for individuals of all ages to come together and celebrate diversity.”
