Nick Aldrich

Sydney, get ready. The UK’s most iconic queer pop festival is officially making its Australian debut, and it’s bringing one hell of a line-up with it. Mighty Hoopla – London’s legendary pop-utopia that’s become a cult phenomenon among gays, gals and everyone in between – is finally touching down under. And in the most fittingly chaotic way possible, it’s landing right on Bondi Beach on Saturday 21 February 2026.

If there’s one thing the queer community knows, it’s that laughter is survival. And if there’s one person who knows how to turn that survival into razor-sharp, whip-smart comedy, it’s ALOK. For those who aren’t already obsessed (fix that immediately), ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed comedian, poet, and all-around icon who’s been reshaping conversations around gender, identity, and queerness for years.

THIS PAGE IS FOR THOSE 18+ ONLY – GET THE FACTS AT DRINKWISE.ORG.AU Presented by OG vodka baddies themselves, Smirnoff are this month featuring the Meanjin/Brisbane based and enigmatic front person of ‘Platonic Sex’, Bridget Brando, as our LGBTQIA+ identifying, culture creating, emerging artist of the month! Yep, the famed vodka favourite, and subsequent masterminds behind the new ‘Smirnoff Soda’ range (that’s available in three fruity flavours, made with real fruit juice!), and ‘Smirnoff...