Be part of Melt Festival!

Melt Festival is an annual open-access festival of Queer arts and culture staged across central Magandjin/Brisbane, Australia.

Melt 2026 will be held from 21 October to 08 November, this year opening the festival with the iconic River Pride Parade on Saturday 24 October.

Building on the success of festival predecessor Melt, held annually at Brisbane Powerhouse since 2015, Melt Festival is a showcase of queer art, artists, allies, icons, sport and ideas.

Melt Festival will showcase more venues, more artists, more LGBTQIA+ love in a city gearing up to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.

Melt invites participation from Queer artists, producers, community groups, venues and sporting clubs.

Melt is proudly supported by Tourism Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency, and a national marketing campaign commences February 2026.

Got questions? Hit up the melt team on [email protected]

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Event Information

Take a look through our Melt Festival resources before you make your submission.

Expressions of Interest close – 12 JUN

• EOI Information Pack – this contains everything you need to know if you are an Artist, Producer, Community Group or Sporting Organisation wanting to be part of Melt 2026
• Melt Venue Portal – Need a venue for your show or event? Take a look a the Melt Venue Portal for supporting venues, you are welcome to reach out and start a conversation.

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Melt Development Fund

Applications for the Melt Development Program are now open and will close at 11:59pm on Monday 04 May 2026.

The program is to support Queer-identifying artists and collectives in the development and/or presentation of new or evolving work for Melt Festival 2026.

Image credit: Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers by Darcy Goss Media