Auckland Pride is excited to open expressions of interest for arts and culture events for the 2023 Auckland Pride Festival! For 2023, we're doing things a bit different. While it is important to us to remain an an open-access for all events, we’re looking to better support the artists and creatives in our community. This means Auckland Pride is calling for expressions of interest for arts & culture events separately to our community events. 

After the cancellation of the 2022 Auckland Pride Festival due to COVID-19, the 2023 Festival will be a triumphant return of Pride with a renewed purpose and defiant energy. The stories told on stage will be a significant contributor to this - and we can’t wait to see and support the works that our artists are creating to be presented as part of Pride 2023.

We believe that Tāmaki Makaurau has the potential to become a major arts capital, and are determined to take steps in making that happen. We have the artists and the talent, but understand that they are often left under-resourced. We believe arts & culture is the beating heart of Auckland Pride, the intersection where our creativity, community, and our politics meet.

That's why we're starting with our arts and culture events, to provide artists pursuing a professional practice with additional support where possible. By defining our events clearly, we hope to better serve the specific needs of the creative sector as well as our community events. We are currently working on a new initiative - Pride Elevates - to further funding and resources beyond our existing funding. 

Our website has all the details, including everything you need to now about next year's Festival and our EOI process. It also has key information around dates, venues, and Pride Elevates. Check it out here.

So as the countdown to the 2023 Festival begins, we're looking forward to working with our artists and producers to create a fabulous programme for the 2023 Auckland Pride Festival!