Yee-haw! It’s a hoe-down as Dolly does Melt
Melt Festival is celebrating the sparkly life of Dolly Parton with a Dolly Hoe-Down at this year’s event.
Brisbane’s biggest celebration of Queer arts and culture, Melt, will pay tribute to one of pop culture’s most beloved icons with the Dolly Hoe-Down – an evening dedicated to the one and only Dolly Parton on October 30.
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse and Harry K and hosted by the reigning Queen of Queensland’s Drag Scene, Vollie LaVont, you can expect DJs spinning Dolly favourites, drag performances and a lesson from Gilly’s Line Dancing, alongside larger-than-life Dolly visuals and a dancefloor packed with rhinestones, big hair, denim, sequins and country glamour.
With dressing up encouraged, Dolly Hoe-Down will transform the Powerhouse Theatre into a celebration of the songs, style and enduring cultural influence of an icon who has long held a special place in queer hearts. Whether you are a lifelong Dolly devotee or there just for the glitter and a good time, Dolly Disco is not to be missed.
Melt Festival runs October 21 to November 8 and its line-up includes acclaimed Australian artist Asha Jefferies, a high-speed sewing showdown at Onesie World and Surf Life Saving Queensland joining this year’s River Pride Parade flotilla. Melt has also revealed where Florentijn Hofman’s spectacular 15-metre, five-storey Rubber Duck will pop up along the Brisbane River for all to see.
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This year’s Melt will feature more than 100 events across more than 70 venues. The city-wide program spans public art, world premieres, headline concerts, river celebrations and new Queer storytelling.
Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and artistic director Louise Bezzina says adding these new elements gives audiences even more ways to experience the festival.
“From music and performance to playful public art, parties and community moments, there’s something wonderfully unexpected around every corner,” she says. “Melt is a celebration of queer arts, culture and community, and we can’t wait to see Brisbane come alive with even more colour, energy and joy this October and November.”
Fresh from the release of her second album, Desire Is an Angel, Asha Jefferies will join the Melt program for a special performance at Black Bear Lodge on November 7. The Brisbane-born artist will bring her intimate, emotionally charged sound to the festival as part of her album tour.
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In the Queen Street Mall, Melt’s wildly playful Onesie World will get a competitive makeover with Stitch, Please: The Ultimate Sewdown, where internationally acclaimed artist Adele Varcoe will go head-to-head with sewing superstar Gayleen Tuckwood in a high-speed, high-stakes onesie-making showdown, with the pair racing against the clock to create a onesie from scratch.
Taking place at 11am on October 18, this part-performance, part-competition and part-creative workshop brings the irreverent spirit of Onesie World to the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, giving audiences a front-row seat to the art, craft and chaos of onesie-making.
Also making festival history, Surf Life Saving Queensland will join this year’s River Pride Parade, with at least three boats forming part of the flotilla on the Brisbane River, marking the first participation of a major Queensland sporting organisation. Reflecting the role sport can play in fostering connection, community and belonging for LGBTQIA+ people, the inclusion also reinforces the importance of creating sporting and community spaces where everyone feels welcome.
Pride in Sport national program manager Ben Cork says “sport is an integral part of many LGBTQIA+ people’s lives, offering connection, community and a powerful sense of belonging”.
“We commend Surf Life Saving Queensland for leading the way as the first sporting organisation to participate, standing proudly alongside LGBTQIA+ communities and helping ensure Queensland’s beaches are safe, welcoming and inclusive for everyone.”
Finally, to give audiences multiple opportunities to see it during the celebrations, Melt has announced the locations of where the 15m-high Rubber Duck will appear around Brisbane. Festival goers will be able to get a first glimpse of Rubber Duck outside Brisbane Powerhouse on October 21 before it joins the River Pride Parade on October 24 before returning to Brisbane Powerhouse until November 8.
Melt runs October 21 to November 8 at 70-plus venues across Brisbane.
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