Join Life Without Barriers for fabulous celebrations with the LGBTQIA+ community at Victoria’s Midsumma Festival and Sydney's Mardi Gras Fair Day.
Image: Issa (Case Manager), Panos (Director NISS) and Abril LaTrene at Life Without Barriers' Midsumma stall.
Life Without Barriers is proud to take part in LGBTQIA+ community events because we celebrate diversity, and we practice inclusion. We believe in the strength of a diverse community where the perspectives and life experiences of our people help us build strong relationships.
For several years, our Child, Youth, and Family team have been proud to represent Life Without Barriers at the Midsumma Festival in Victoria and at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in New South Wales. These events are key opportunities to celebrate our growing community of LGBTQIA+ foster carers, connect with the community, and encourage people to consider becoming foster carers.
Midsumma Festival
The Midsumma Festival is a highlight on Life Without Barriers' calendar each year and we are more excited than ever to connect with more of Victoria's LGBTQIA+ community to discuss foster care.
This year, we will be hosting a booth at both the Midsumma Carnival and Victoria’s Pride Street Party in Melbourne. Our friendly staff and foster care ambassadors will be ready to chat with attendees about foster care and answer any questions you have about the different types of care, the application and assessment process, the roles and responsibilities of being a foster carer and the support you will receive from Life Without Barriers.
Midsumma Carnival
Midsumma Carnival highlights the opening weekend of the three-week Festival each year. Showcasing local and international artists and performers, with endless things to see, do, and eat your way through, Midsumma Carnival is an iconic full-day outdoor extravaganza dedicated to kicking off the three-week-long festival!
Date: Sunday, 19 January
Time: 11 am – 9 pm
Location: Alexandra Gardens, St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC.
To learn more, visit the Midsumma Carnival event page.
Image: Life Without Barriers staff and foster carers dressed in pink at the Midsumma Carnival booth.
Victoria’s Pride Street Party
Experience a full day of LGBTQIA+ art, live music, performances, community and culture, with stalls showcasing local treasures. Open to all - families, friends, and allies - there’s something for everyone, from morning to night.
Date: Sunday, 9 February
Time: 12 pm – 9 pm
Location: Gertrude Street and Smith Street, Fitzroy, VIC.
To learn more, visit the Victoria's Pride Street Party event page.
Image: Life Without Barriers staff wearing pink in a stall blowing bubbles at Midsumma 2024.
Mardi Gras Fair Day
2025 will be our sixth year participating in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. This year we are excited to be hosting a stall at the Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday, 16 February at Sydney’s Victoria Park.
This rainbow extravaganza will bring together the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies with dapper dogs, DJs, and dancefloors joining over 200 food, retail, and community stalls. Make sure you stop by our stall where our friendly staff will be available to answer any questions you have about foster care.
Mardi Gras Fair Day
Date: Sunday, 16 February
Time: 10 am – 9 pm
Location: Victoria Park, Corner of Parramatta and City Road, Sydney, NSW.
To learn more, visit the Mardi Gras Fair Day event page.
Can’t make it on these events but wondering if you could be a carer?
Life Without Barriers welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and intersex foster carers.
People of all genders and sexualities can be foster carers
No partner? No problem! Single people and people in a relationship can be foster carers.
It’s your ability to care for and nurture a child that matters. Not your sexuality or gender.
If you want to find out more about foster care at Life Without Barriers, you can join one of our upcoming webinars!
