This mid-summer event in (yes) January is an artsy ten-day celebration of all things gay. Midsumma opens with the Pride march, a long parade culminating in St. Kilda, where the crowd disperses for post-march celebrations (for instance, queens

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This mid-summer event in (yes) January is an artsy ten-day celebration of all things gay. Midsumma opens with the Pride march, a long parade culminating in St. Kilda, where the crowd disperses for post-march celebrations (for instance, queens shrieking on the roller-coaster at Luna Park). Midsumma Festival finishes with the Midsumma carnival, which features hundreds of booths and events of gay interest, everything from a dog show to bank loans to gay-liaison officers from Victoria Police. Everybody goes, every year. After Midsumma, head to the hills outside Melbourne for the after-after-party, called Chillout. It's held in Daylesford, which has a high year-round gay population and high concentration of natural healing centers and spas, due to the mineral springs. Check out the lush and lovely, gay-owned Aqua Viva day spa in nearby Hepburn Springs.

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