VISITORS are being encouraged to shake their tail feathers at this year's annual ChillOut Festival.
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This year will mark 22 years the LGBTQI+ festival has been running, though there are many new aspects to this year's event.
Festival director Merryn Tinkler said it was great to have so many different venues to use this year, like the Beagle Circus Tent and Palais-Hepburn.
"The circus tent is different and fun," she said. "It also provides a venue for intimate theatre, which we have never had before."
Ms Tinkler said the festival was being embraced by all aspects of the community, with many different groups like the Masonic Lodge getting on board.
The festival is growing up this year and starting to address more serious issues like bullying of LGBTQI+ people and domestic violence.
"We really pushed that we were coming into adulthood with the 21st last year, but now we are settling into maturity," she said.
"Marriage equality was a sigh of relief but now we are having serious discussions because marriage equality does not necessarily mean equality."
She said there were many reasons that the community still needed pride and why the notion was still important.
Marriage equality was a sigh of relief but now we are having serious discussions because marriage equality does not necessarily mean equality.
- Merryn Tinkler
Alongside celebrating the community, this year ChillOut will host its first Raising Rainbows fundraiser to support young LGBTQI+ people.
Raising Rainbows started after some of the region's students were abused for raising the pride flag at their school last year.
ChillOut saw this as an opportunity to provide a flag pole to schools so that youth could feel included and safe among their peers.
"By raising the rainbow flag, the issues around bullying are highlighted," Ms Tinker said.
"This region may be the gay capital of Australia but it doesn't mean there aren't issues in the community."
An art auction will be held at the Palais-Hepbun on March 7 to raise funds for the initiative.
ChillOut Festival attracts thousands of people to the region for the long weekend of festivities each year.
This year the events will run from March 7 to 10.
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