Chill Out Festival

ChillOut, Australia’s number one Queer Country Pride festival, ­is held in the gay capital of regional Victoria – Daylesford! From humble beginnings, ChillOut has grown to become the biggest and longest-running Country Queer Pride event in regional Australia, and the largest festival in Hepburn Shire.

While events in the capital cities might be a lot bigger, ChillOut retains a relaxed, down-to-earth atmosphere with plenty of opportunities to let your hair down, and has found a special place in the hearts of gay men and lesbians across Australia – and the world

ChillOut began as an annual festival of the Springs Connection, a local gay and lesbian business group in Daylesford. The first festival was staged in 1997 and each year the festival has been hosted over the Victorian Labour Day long weekend in March.

Across two weeks from the end of February through to March, the festival transforms the Central Highlands of Victoria into “Queer Country”. There’s a carnival, a champagne bar, even a parade through the town. There are plenty of cowboy hats and flannelette shirts. Unlike your average bush dance, however, in Daylesford the cowboys will be spinning one another around the dancefloor.

Highlights not to be missed include the Thick and Juicy Chill Out BBQ and party and the Poof Doof Drag Jamboree.