Cairns Regional Council is adding a splash of colour to the Esplanade to celebrate the Cairns Pride Festival with the installation of a rainbow crossing throughout October.
The rainbow crossing will be in place between Aplin and Shields streets, just north of the Night Markets, until Tuesday 23 October.
Division 5 Councillor Amy Eden said the rainbow crossing, with its picturesque Esplanade background, was an obvious place to take a selfie and show support for equality and diversity in the city.
Nae Weysenfeld with daughter Kasia Weysenfeld at the newly installed rainbow crossing
“By installing the rainbow crossing, we celebrate our diverse LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities, our beautiful tropical city, and show that everyone is welcome here,” Cr Eden said.
“We love to see everyone swapping the zebra crossing for a rainbow crossing in October.
“We’re lucky in Cairns to be one of very few regional areas in Australia with an LGBTIQ+ event of this kind.”
Division 5 Councillor Amy Eden at the newly installed rainbow crossing in support of Cairns Pride Festival
The Pride Festival has been running for more than 13 years, and is now supported by the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC), a not-for-profit, community-based organisation that promotes the health and wellbeing of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Sistergirl and Brotherboy people and communities in Queensland.
Some of the Pride Festival activities open to everyone include the free Pride Art Exhibition from 15-24 October and the Pride Fair Day on Sunday 17 October, both at Tanks Arts Centre.
The Festival also features a range of events independently designed and run by Cairns LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community leaders and groups, including the ‘Birds of Paradise Women’s Dance party’, Pride Fair Day and many different events supporting local tourism.
Full details for the Cairns Pride Festival events can be found by searching for the Cairns Pride Festival on social media.
Carla Gorton (left) and Sharm Giles at the launch of the rainbow crossing
QC Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Reynolds said the organisation was proud to support the local volunteers who run the Cairns Pride Festival, and pleased to see the rainbow crossing back on the Esplanade in 2021.
“Our communities can really use spaces for connection, remembering, and the beautiful links that Pride can bring right now as we visibly celebrate who we are,” she said.
"We are so excited to continue the tradition of the rainbow crossing on the Esplanade, including the ‘ochre’ stripe with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, representing the proud diversity of our communities in the Far North.”