Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival Knysna

THE PINK LOERIE STORY:

The story of the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival is a story that begins with Knysna. Hidden away 1200 km south of Johannesburg and east of Port Elizabeth, lays the charming town of Knysna (a local Khoikhoi word that quite possibly may mean ‘ferns’). One of the best kept secrets of South Africa, the town of Knysna is located in the Garden Route and is surrounded by lush native South African rainforests, spilling out into a crystalline estuary fed by the Knysna River. For the past fourteen years at the end of April and the first week of May, Knysna has also become home to one of the freshest and most exciting LGBTI celebrations around the world – the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival.

Initially started by local businessmen to entice tourists to the town during the slow month of May and reinvigorate the local economy, and run until 2009 by Juan Lerm, the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras was also an event that that would not only incorporate the region’s gay identity but celebrate the cultural contribution the gay community made to the region and overcome a history of suppression. And with an ever increasingly visible gay population, Knysna’s Pink Loerie has quietly become one of the most written about and must-see annual celebrations within the global gay community.

During the early days of the event’s creation, the organisers had first thought to have the event as a parade similar to the famous Pride events found throughout Europe and South Africa. The next option was to hold a parade and party akin to that of the Sydney Mardi Gras. Whilst acknowledging that the region was in need of an event that provided a celebratory and creative outlet for the LGBTI community, the organisers agreed that whatever it was that was created should go beyond that of the traditional, better known Pride parade. It should be a celebration, a carnival – and a carnival with a purpose. This would allow the event to become something that incorporated all residents and visitors in the town regardless of their sexuality, thus celebrating the rich diversity of people from the Greater Municipality of Eden area which incorporates Knysna and nearby George. It would be an event that would truly embrace the ideals of equality and freedom. Whilst essentially still being a celebration of gay culture and queer freedom, it would also be a platform where LGBTI cultural and political issues could be debated and addressed, albeit in an informal manner. Issues such as sexual education, HIV/AIDS and acceptance from both sides of the community are often primary themes of discussion and celebration. After some initial discussions with the local government and a whopper of a fund raiser that proved just how much support they had from all areas of the community, they were ready to begin …

And so in 2001, the very first Pink Loerie Mardi Gras was celebrated and to say it was a huge success is an understatement. A more culturally aware version of the European Pride, Pink Loerie Mardi Gras provided a wider range of events, exhibitions and gatherings that focus on creative and political endeavours within the South African and international gay communities. Performing art shows, art exhibitions and charity drives are held that provoke thought and debate and provide many a creative platform to share their opinions and experiences. And, for the more outdoor oriented, there are excursions to local tourist attractions such as Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, as well as lagoon rides on the cruise boats on offer.

This festival is the event where Knysna comes into its own, with the locals showing the full extent of hospitality, diversity and fanfare and festive spirit that is the backbone of the event and the reason that people keep coming back every year.

A notable accomplishment of Pink Loerie is the charity drive for local charities such as Loeriehof Old Age Home in Graham Street, Knysna and the Mayor’s Relief Fund. The Pink Loerie Mardi Gras & Arts Festival is therefore a time of celebration, but celebration with a purpose.

We hope you enjoy this year!

We are a proud member of Knysna & Partners