It’s all Rhinestone’s, glue guns & dance moves this week as the Coastal Twist Festival team are fluttering their wings because its crunch time & in their final few weeks getting ready to shine & share their Coastie Pride to the world at the annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
“This is our fifth year participating, during that time we have had massive global visibility as well as being recognised as “Finalists in the best float design” It’s such a buzz seeing our float, costumes & community across the world press as well as across all the Australian media” said Float Leads Leigh Rijff & Shane Milson.
This year’s Sydney Mardi gras theme is “Our future” which embodies a commitment to inclusivity, acceptance and optimism, celebrating past achievements while illuminating the path to a dazzling future.
Coastal Twist Festival’s creative director Glitta Supernova stating, “The 2024 Coastal Twist Festival theme is “Rise & Shine” A vibrant take on the phoenix rising from the flames. This theme encourages all people to rise up to our full potential & shine by being who we are, your authentic self is a term that we hear a lot, this is literally walking the walk! Rising up above ignorance, exclusion and isolation like a phoenix, transformed & strong. It’s a strong message of resilience that we belong, we matter, and we have a right to live here, raise our families and celebrate. Resilience is at our core, that is what it’s taken being a LGBTIQ person growing up, moving to, living on the Coast in the bad ol days… The broader support from Central Coast residents, schools, politicians, parents, pensioners and sports clubs has been beyond what we ever could have hoped for across the last 5 years, the small handful of extremists & gatekeepers holding our region back now identified and a happier, healthier and more welcoming Central Coast now a reality for many if not most LGBTIQ Coasties”
Many months of preparation have gone into a somewhat flash in the pan experience as a lot is involved from a callout for participants, designing & conceptualising to the actual sewing & blinging of costumes & the design on the truck, then there’s the chorography & light design & all the mundane stuff like online shopping & form filling & making sure all the paperwork is in check.
“The costume designs this year we return to the Coastal Twist mascots, the Rainbow lorikeet which mirror the new Festival key artwork which was commissioned by Queer Artist Megan Oliver. With rainbow wings & crowns on our heads & base colour of silver to shine our radiance with the world. This year as well as the truck we will also have 2 giant Lorikeet puppets, it will be quite the spectacle.” Describes Leigh Rijff
If you can’t make it into Sydney the Funhaus Factory is hosting an official Mardigras viewing party, come cheer our local float on together, always everyone is welcome, its family friendly with local acts & a DJ.
Tix available on naughtynoodle.com.au