A rainy start to Saturday 25 March 2023 did not dampen the Coonabarabran communities spirit's in celebrating LGBTQI+ members of the community at the first ever 'Pride at the Park' festival.

The Pride at the Park festival held at the Coonabarabran Sport and Recreational Centre, welcomed a crowd of more than 350 people from cities and towns including Sydney, Tamworth, Newcastle, Dubbo, Gunnedah, Coonabarabran and Baradine.

The festival included all things music, dance, education and all things rainbow, in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community members.

Special guests were present at the festival including headline act and Indigenous singer- songwriter Scott Hunter, Tamworth based drag queen Missy Sparkles and DJ duo from Signal Creative Emma Hoy and Caroline Wallace.

Organiser Kodi Brady (right), performer Scott Hunter (centre)

The headlining acts were joined by health and wellbeing organisation's including NSW Health, Coonabarabran Suicide Prevention Network, ACON, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Stand By Post Suicide Community Support and the Drug Action Task Force.

ABOVE: Pride festival goers did not stop dancing and singing all afternoon. PHOTO: Supplied. 

One of the organiser's of the Warrumbungle Shire's first ever Pride in the Park festival Kodi Brady, said the festival started off as just a small gathering, but turned into more than he could have ever imagined.

"I thought the Pride at the Park festival would be just a small BBQ at the park with less than twenty people," Mr Brady said.

"We were so surprised and overjoyed to hear so many people from within our small, rural community wanting to be involved.

"What started as just a small gathering, turned into a festival of celebration and inclusivity, that the whole community wanted to be involved with".

ABOVE: The Pride in the Park festival was enjoyed by people of all ages. PHOTO: Supplied. 

Mr Brady was heart- warmed by the personal stories he heard throughout the day regarding community members who have struggled or experienced hostility due to their sexuality.

"There was one woman from Baradine who really pulled at my heart strings. She is an 83 yeas old and she believed she would never see an event like this take place in her lifetime," he said.

"She told me about her struggles growing up and how it was illegal to be gay.

"It was lovely to see her so happy and free at the festival. She alike, many others who came to celebrate were overjoyed to be involved in such a significant event for the town of Coonabarabran."

Performers like Missy Sparkles can inspire the confidence to be proud.

"She was not the only one to tell me stories- I heard some emotional, heartbreaking, inspiring and uplifting stories. So many people agreed that the festival was a great way to break down barriers, bring people out of isolation and get people together to talk and connect with each other".

Mr Brady said the future is looking bright for Pride at the Park festival, which he hopes will continue to be held in Coonabarabran annually. 

"With the support from local businesses and the community, we hope that we can run the Pride in the Park Festival annually. This years festival will be hard to top, but we think next years will be bigger and better than ever seen before," he said.

"It has been almost three weeks since the festival took place and I am still on a high- this festival has ignited something inside of me, and I hope we can continue to spread the love with these kinds of festivals in rural areas like Coonabarabran in the future".