Spooky Speed Dating, Heaps Gay’s Halloween Party: What’s On In Queer Sydney
The climax of 2022’s Halloween season is here, and queer Sydney is alive with fear and fun. What follows here are our picks for the many, many events happening this Halloweekend.
Celebrate Queer Asian Sydney
Haymarket has an unfortunate lack of clearly documented queer history, which is why this Queer Haymarket Tour seeks to reassess the space to celebrate legacies of queer Asian activisim.
The tour includes numerous installations that utilise dance, reading and performance to imagine the space as one that more clearly celebrates the queer Asian-Australian community. A free drink at the tour’s last stop, the Bancho Bar, is included in the ticket price – but you’ll have to book to get in on the limited spaces.
When: Saturday 29th October, 6-6:45pm or 7-7:45pm
Where: 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 181-187 Hay Street, Haymarket
Tickets: $25
Spooky Queer Speed Dating
Looking to meet new people, but also have a great Halloween costume lined up? Head over to the Judgement Bar at the Courthouse Hotel for a bout of spooky queer speed dating.
Supplemented by live entertainment from drag queen Kiama Blowhole, TikTok superstar Smooth Gutter and Saba Sabila’s musical numbers, there’s no better way to meet new people this Halloween than with a wonderful mix of mingling and performance. Oh, and prizes for best costumes too… so ensure you dress to impress as many people as possible.
When: 29th October, 7pm
Where: The Courthouse Hotel, 189 Oxford Street Darlinghurst
Tickets: Free to reserve
Heaps Hallowed
Get down to forty-thousand-year funk with professional partiers Heaps Gay’s costumed Halloween party, hereby dubbed Heaps Hallowed. Having moved from its initial Factory Theatre venue, this Halloween party is looking to be an all-inclusive, all-night affair in its takeover of the Manning Bar.
US club queen Uniiqu3 will be making an appearance on the night to provide the tunes, alongside plenty of other local legends. With a wealth of Halloween parties to choose from this weekend, Heaps Hallowed is looking to be one of the best.
When: 29th October, 9pm
Where: Manning Bar, Manning House, Manning Rd, Camperdown
Tickets: $45
The Babadook Comes Back To Newtown
Australian director Jennifer Kent’s debut film The Babadook gave rise to a surprising queer con in its titular monster, thanks to a variety of internet memes and discussion. Now for Halloween, as part of Dendy Newtown’s House of Horrors, the 2014 film returns to the big screen once more to frighten audiences all over again.
Maybe you’re looking to be frightened, or to support a true queer icon (or maybe even both!) – whatever you’re looking for, The Babadook has you covered.
When: Monday 31st October, 7:10pm
Where: Dendy Cinemas, 261-263 King St, Newtown
Tickets: $15
EnQueer Writing Festival
Australia’s only queer writing festival, EnQueer, makes its live debut next week after starting during COVID. Held entirely at Sydney University, the three day festival promises a wide variety of panels and workshops all aiming to stimulate discussion about queer writing and perspectives.
With open discussion of identity, sexuality and on-screen representation, EnQueer will be highly intellectually stimulating with seemingly innumerable acclaimed writers attending over a mere few days.
When: Thursday 3rd – Saturday 5th of November
Where: Various locations in Sydney University, Camperdown
Tickets: Festival pass $71-$104, individual sessions $11-43
