PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with BWS to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community all around Australia.
No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life – dating is hard. As a late bloomer in the gay community, suffice it to say dating can be rather challenging when you don’t know where to go or what to do. Sure, you could technically bump into the love of your life standing in line at BWS, but that’s not exactly a foolproof plan (but by god, have I tried).
No, sometimes you need some intel to ensure your dating life is a) existent and b) thriving. So, if you’re ready to get back on the horse and want to show the potential love of your life a good time, below are some first date locations around Australia that are low pressure, maximum comfort and, above all, safe spaces.
Pro dating tip: go beyond this list and check out BWYASSS for more inclusive spaces to let your hair down.
NT
Want to ensure your date sees you in the best light? Pull up a chair at The Deck Bar’s alfresco section, time it right and you’ll be soaked in nature’s ring light.
With the always-welcome happy hour, avoid the inquisitive gaze of the person opposite you by looking down at your specialty mojito and you’ll come across as mysterious and aloof. Or awkward and shy depending on how well you pull it off.
Top End Pride – 20-23 June, 2024
You can go to a restaurant or a bowling alley any regular time, so these date ideas are based around events celebrating our community so, again, there’s not as much pressure on the date itself. Hell, if you realise you hate the person you’re with, go off and mingle with the masses.
Case in point: Darwin’s Top End Pride. Darwin often gets overlooked as a queer-friendly capital but, after visiting many moons ago, I can confirm there are gays flying left and right over that strip of pubs and bars so, if you don’t have a date to Top End Pride yet, you’ll undoubtedly find one while you’re there.
Expect everything usually found at a queer festival – disco, drag, dancing, obscure 90’s pop bangers – just in a slightly warmer climate.
To simmer down after the festivities and enter the ‘get to know you’ stage of the date, take a nice post-boogie stroll through the mild streets of Darwin and throw in some ice cream for the cliché-coated cherry on top.
SA
Nothing encourages people to show their true colours quite like trivia, and My Lover Cindi hosts regular nights that serve as a fun date idea and an opportunity to peek behind the curtains.
Does your date seem a little too cocky with their answers? Are they sulking because they lost? Find out at My Lover Cindi and you might save yourself some time. Alternatively, this queer-centric bar operates as, you guessed it, a regular bar most nights of the week, so if you’re not ready to see your date in a harsh, trivia-fuelled light, go on a standard Friday and have a laugh.
Picnic In The Park – November, 2024
You can’t really go wrong with a picnic on a first date, primarily because you can stand up and run away if they start talking about hedge funds or their weirdly close relationship with their second cousin – we love an open-air exit route.
Picnic In The Park takes that idea and ups the ante, throwing a full-blown party at Rundle Park that celebrates all things queer. On top of food stalls, music and the usual suspects, there’s also a tattoo parade which is perfect for those icebreakers on a first date:
“Speaking of tattoos, do you have any?”
“No, I find them immoral.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
See? Works like a charm.
WA
The retro vibes of Perth’s Como Hotel will put you at ease as you’re sussing out the compatibility of this new mystery love interest. The buzzy vibe serves as a great opportunity to people-watch with your potential partner, because nothing brings two people together quite like making up fake stories about those dining around you.
PrideFEST – November, 2024
Shoutout to my queer isolated troopers over in Perth, look at you having your very own festival so far away from the rest of us. We call that progress.
Continuing with the trend of low-pressure dating environments, look no further than PrideFEST aka the best place to introduce your date to your friends to see if they pass the vibe check.
It should go a little something like this: you agree to meet your date prior to PrideFEST, while also agreeing to ‘bump into’ your friends while listening to an inspiring panel, before proceeding to discuss said panel with your friends and new love to see how the convo flows.
Some may argue that’s blindsiding your date, but who’s to say they’re not plotting a similar day with their friends? We call that 4D chess.
TAS
TasPride Queens Ball – 10 June, 2024
Held annually on the Queen’s birthday, this could be the closest you get to having a real Cinderella story with your future one and only.
The TasPride Queens Ball differs slightly to the high-society affair found in the Disney classic, in that there’s far less fine china but the same amount of ball gowns and braggadocious dancing.
Bonus points if you send your date a printed invite you made yourself on Microsoft Word. Keep in mind, that might be interpreted as either endearing or far too invested so proceed with caution.
VIC
Did someone say drag cabaret? Nothing eases the tension quite like dinner and a show—once again, you have something else to look at and keep your eyes occupied so you’re not staring at each other’s face as they chew their steak. And what better distraction than a full-blown cabaret show at Vau D’Vile?
Bendigo Queer Film Festival – 17 March, 2024
Is your date a cinephile? Say no more – the Bendigo Queer Film Festival will make you appear both cool and cultured, even if you lack a certain je ne gay quoi.
There is one make-or-break element to this first date idea, however, in that it requires a semi-lengthy trip to Bendigo. This could be ideal if you catch the train down, as it gives you ample time to figure each other out on the journey, but if you’re not meshing with each other, prepare for a silence-fuelled round trip.
Sometimes you’ve just got to take the leap of faith, though. There’s no room for pessimists in the dating world (or so I’m told).
ACT
If daytime dates are more your speed, Tilley’s Devine Cafe Gallery is the perfect balance of caffeine and entertainment. Sip your latte while your date is ever-so slightly drowned out by the local talent playing sultry songs in the background. You don’t want to hear everything your date’s saying, otherwise you’ll run out of things to talk about in 10-20 years.
Canberra Bushdance – November, 2024
I was recently speaking to a friend about dating and one of her icks was someone who can’t dance. I’m not talking about professionally trained dancing but rather, those who lack an iota of rhythm.
Enter Canberra Bushdance: the place to suss out whether you’re potentially marrying someone with two left feet strapped to a sheet of iron.
Of course, dancing is subjective. I for one look like a wacky-waving-arm-flailing-inflatable-tube-man when I get on the d-floor, so I shan’t throw stones. But if dancing is important to you and something you love to do, share that experience with your date.
NSW
So, you’ve bagged yourself a sports nut, ey? Look, these things happen and I’d happily take a sports fanatic over a Camilla Cabello stan any day.
Regardless, unlike some other sports bars out there, Harlequin Inn has the queer stamp of approval, so you can fade in and out of alertness as Sporty Spice shouts at the screen in-between shooting half-baked questions in your general direction.
BentART Annual Visual Arts Exhibition – 8-16 June, 2024
For the introverts who freeze on a first date (yoohoo, that’s me), any sort of exhibition or entertainment to break the awkward silence is a win in my book.
The BentART Annual Visual Arts Exhibition ticks all the boxes. It’s free entry for one, so those on a budget can still get their potential boinking on, plus it offers you a visual aid so you’re not stuck staring at each other from across a dinner table in a drab restaurant.
Plus, it sounds so adult to invite someone to an art exhibition. Just make sure to prepare cue cards so you know when to comment on brush strokes and camera angles. We’d also recommend letting someone trustworthy know that you’re heading out on a date — especially if you’re meeting up with someone you met online, because a lil’ safety can go a long way.
Want to continue supporting the local LGBTQIA+ community to ensure there’s a safe space to socialise? Check out the BWYASSS Supporting Pride Far & Wide site, made in collaboration with BWS. It features Pride events, inclusive venues, BWYASSS stores, and LGBTQIA+ owned and run businesses across the country who continue to advocate for members of the local community.
Image Credit: