A few months after Pride Month, October brings a fascinating and important festival to Busselton. Presented by the Busselton Pride Alliance, the fourth Pride Wellbeing Festival is a free two-day conference exploring LGBTQIA+ wellbeing, connection, and belonging, from 10 to 11 October 2026.
Supported by Busselton Water, Rio Tinto and the City of Busselton, the festival is entirely free. It takes place at Saltwater Performing Arts & Conference Centre, where a well-balanced program bridges education and lived experience via a diverse range of speakers and perspectives.
Pride Wellbeing Festival at Busselton
The Pride Wellbeing Festival continues the Busselton Pride Alliance’s focus on creating opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people to connect, feel supported and improve their wellbeing. Meanwhile, the wider community in invited to learn, listen and participate.
Opening night, titled Pink Pony Club, will be hosted by Saltwater on Friday, 9 October. Look forward to a ticketed night of music, dancing, and LGBTQIA+ celebration, with drag star Kane Enable. Also in attendance are DJ Emma and Fempower Dance Co.
The conference features Kai Schweizer and Tanesha Bennell discussing perspectives vis-à-vis lived experiences affecting LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities. Schweizer, a researcher and PhD candidate, brings out the intersections between neurodivergence, gender diversity and eating disorders. Meanwhile, Bennell shares First Nations LGBTQIA+ insights as a proud Bibbulmun Noongar advocate, storyteller and community organiser.
Holding the festival during Mental Health Week is a conscious choice. Festival Director Clare Paine stressed that Pride is about the mental health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ people as well as celebrating. She added that the impact of “discrimination, stigma and exclusion” needs to be addressed by “creating communities where people are safe, respected, visible and able to participate without fear of discrimination.”
The first day highlights sessions examining LGBTQIA+ identities, law reform and the diverse experiences and challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ communities. Day two of the Pride Wellbeing Festival focuses on connection, wellbeing and belonging. It will explore lived experience and practical approaches to wellbeing, with sessions covering intersex perspectives, inclusion and accessibility, meditation, and creative wellbeing.
Clare Paine also pointed out that “regional LGBTQIA+ communities deserve access to the same conversations, opportunities and support as people in metropolitan areas.” When an event of this kind comes to Busselton, it builds visibility, connection, and understanding. As a result, it shows that “LGBTQIA+ people belong and can thrive in regional communities,” Paine concludes.
Festival Details
- Conference dates: 10 and 11 October 2026 (Free entry)
- Opening Party “Pink Pony Club”: Friday, 9 October 2026 (for $25)
- Venue: Saltwater Performing Arts & Conference Centre, Busselton
For more details about the program and tickets for opening night, click here.
