7 DAYS OF festival fun

Coastal Twist LGBTIQ Arts & Culture Festival exploded onto the Central Coast scene in 2019 as a locally made, vibrant and original festival which was unique to the Coast and fun for all.

Prior to 2019 the Central Coast was the only region in Australia in the top 15 largest (we are number 9) with zero national celebratory symbols for our large and local LGBTIQ population, our friends, families, neighbours and businesses, leaders, organisations and innovators all wanting to push for a more equitable local region tackling the broader negative perceptions of the region. With 800 expected and over 7,000 showing up, the festival has continued to grow from strength to strength, last year hosting over 9,500 people and completely sold out across 7 days and 15 events.

This September 26 – October 2 welcomes the festival back for its third incarnation in what has become the Coast’s glitteriest week of the year with 7 days of jam–packed surprises, playful and profound fun and learnings with LGBTIQ Arts & Culture from across our region, our state and our country as Artists, Thinkers and Innovators all come together to present work that simultaneously entertains and expands our worlds, our understanding of resilient communities and our possibilities as a region as one which is equitable, welcoming and original, cooking up our own brand of Quirky, Coastie, Kitsch.

Multiple Central Coast hubs will come alive with free and ticketed events to suit all ages and abilities across Woy Woy, Ettalong Beach, Gosford and Umina Beach with cabaret, live music, film, dance parties, youth and senior activations, art exhibition, workshops, wellbeing hub and even bingo. The shining jewel of the Festival, the Coastie Carnie Fair Day on Sunday 1 October will be featuring headliner live music and performance artists alongside locals with all day entertainment, the biggest market footprint on the coast with makers, local businesses, organisations, food and beverage, peaking with the now iconic Puparazzi Pooch Parade across the free outdoor event.

This festival is for everyone and every family structure, so families and young people are also covered with over 55% of the programming all ages and 65% of events free hosting youth activations by the National award–winning Central Coast Youth Arts Program, YAAS! Young Authentic and Social from art exhibition, youth variety show to a dance party.

There are activities and entertainment for everyone, regardless of how you identify and this festival is about promoting and celebrating the beauty of diversity across the natural world.