An introvert’s tour of Midsumma
I am an extremely anxious human and crowds tend to terrify me, so going to Midsumma was a step out of my comfort zone. As a rule of thumb, I avoid mingling with people as much as possible.
My idea of a good time is sitting in bed reading a book. And yet, I attended the carnival to celebrate queer arts and culture. Midsumma dominates the queer landscape, and the carnival is the opening act — kick-starting three weeks of pure camp.
Getting ready is harder than it seems
Midsumma doesn’t start when you step off St Kilda Road and descend the stone stairs into Alexandra Garden. It starts with the bleating of an obnoxious alarm prematurely waking you from slumber. I’ve long since abandoned my morning lark antics and snuggled into to my cosy Night Owl routine. Mornings are not a happy time.
Midsumma starts with dragging yourself out of bed to shower and caffeinate, all before realising you’re still chillin’ on the couch in a damp towel. At least, that’s what happened to me.
Several text messages in a row — urgently asking what my mates are wearing — multiple worried glances at the weather app, and a dozen outfit changes later I was out the door sporting a pair of marshmallow pink shorts and a white t-shirt. I wasn’t going to let the ever-looming fret of catastrophic weather dampen my mood. Nor was I going to let a little rain stop me from gorging on jam-filled doughnuts, crepes soaked in lemon and sugar, and copious amounts of Coca-Cola.
Welcome to the Carnival
It wasn’t a picture-perfect day at the park, but this only added to the charm. It was a mess of colours, smells and sounds. It was crazy, vibrant and diverse. I felt like I was arriving at Hogwarts for the first time, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed — attempting to absorb every glimpse of magic I saw. All I needed to do was find my Belong crew, without getting lost in the crowd, or carried away with taking selfies with an inflatable unicorn.
The gardens felt alive as the crowd moved through the maze of tents. The aroma of freshly cut grass, mixed with the pong of cigarettes and body odour all lingered in the heat. To my ghoulish skin, the sun was blistering hot. If I didn’t find shade, I’d be burnt to a crisp. Not to mention I was already beginning to sweat — I was officially regretting my decision to wear a white t-shirt. Although, I have to admit, I was loving the BE Proud logo design with its pastel interpretation of the pride flag. After all, it was designed by the Belong crew.
As I beelined for the trees at the edge of the Picnic Precinct, I saw all sorts of wonderful and wacky stalls, some which were giving away bubble gum ice-cream, others offering to paint my face with golden glitter… one stall was even looking for sperm donors. I turned on my heels and hurried away from that stall as quickly as I could.
Around every corner, there was something new: Sluggers’ Swimwear, Foreskin Revolution and Vic Bears Inc. Among other stalls were familiar companies such as Uber, Telstra and Australian Post, all there to support the LQBT+ community. With over 130 stalls, there really was a little something for everyone, including a coffee shop for me.
With the sun glaring down on me, I was starting to wish it would rain. Just as the picnic blanket was rolled out, I flopped down like a sack of grain. This is where the Belong crew was hanging out, soaking up the good vibes and enjoying the company of people from all walks of life. As the food was spread like a feast for the kings, I made sure I had a perfect view of the Picnic Stage.
At three-o-clock, this is where the dog show would begin. I’m not going to lie; it was my most anticipated event of Midsumma — it was pure bliss. And made all the better by the fact that there were dozens of dogs roaming around with their owners. Already, I was scheming to dog-nap a gorgeous Bernese Mountain dog that rested under a tree a few picnic blankets down from me.
Rainbow, glitter and good vibes
I have this preconceived perception that festivals should be about meeting new people. Which only makes me feel more anxious, like I should be achieving a KPI of five new friends per hour, when really, I spent most of my time eating grapes and engaging in banter with my friends. And that’s okay.
Midsumma can be whatever you want it to be. It’s about acceptance. It’s about feeling free to be who you are. And that’s one thing I noticed, I never felt like I was being judged. I never felt out of place. Everyone was so different, yet we’re all the same. You could wear a foxtail, dress up in leather or let your hairy beer belly hang out — and that would be okay.
Nothing is out of bounds, as long as you are respectful of others. I’m hoping Belong can attend next year’s festival, bigger and better than ever. By the time the winds picked up and the sky had darkened — fretting to rain — I decided I’d done enough socialising to last me a lifetime. I could now happily return home and not feel guilty for sitting on the couch, doing nothing for the rest of the week.
Fate had been kind to me, I hadn’t run into any unwanted ex-boyfriends or faced any awkward encounters with bad dates. Although, I did take home a nasty sunburn as a souvenir.
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