The ACON Zone at this year’s Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday 19 February has well and truly gone to the dogs as we add the much-loved Doggywood to its line up of stalls providing important information about LGBTI health and wellbeing.

Located near the main stage in the Camperdown Memorial Rest Park at Newtown, the ACON Zone will feature a range of activities highlighting our work in relation to HIV prevention, HIV support and LGBTI health. Fair Day crowds will be able to find out more about new approaches to HIV prevention, take part in vital health surveys, find out more about our free counselling, community care and Mardi Gras safety services or simply take a moment to get out of the sun and relax in the comfort of the ACON chillout garden.

Visitors will also be able to go barking mad for the revamped Doggywood as we take the lead and prepare to celebrate the important role that dogs play in our lives with a fetching festival of all things canine. This year’s totally FREE line-up includes the Games Of Bones Dog Pageant, a terrific new dog show from award winning trainer Dai Aoki, a dog training masterclass, a doggy photo booth and a series of brief talks about canine health, nutrition and psychology. For more info or to register for the dog pageant, please visit: www.doggywood.org.au

“ACON has and always will be thrilled to be a part of Mardi Gras Fair Day as it’s an iconic event on our community’s calendar,” our CEO Nicolas Parkhill says.

“Fair Day provides ACON with a unique and effective platform to showcase the many and varied ways we work to improve the health of our community, celebrate our diversity and commemorate our history and where we’ve come from. Our staff and volunteers will be on hand throughout the day to also provide information on how people can safely enjoy all that the Mardi Gras festival has to offer.”

Our new eye-catching and cheeky HIV prevention campaign will be promoted across the park to raise awareness about the most effective forms of HIV prevention currently available to gay men, plus there’ll be a special version of the popular card game Cards Against Humanity called Cards Against HIV that will definitely get people talking.

Visitors to the ACON Zone will also be able to make a vital contribution to community health research by taking part in the Sydney Gay Community Periodic Survey. The survey only takes a few minutes and will help generate much needed data that informs important community health initiatives.

Other dedicated stalls within the ACON Zone will provide information about our range of ageing and community care services such as counselling, care coordination, and home-based care and support for older people and people with HIV. Visitors will also be able to find out more about our services for women, young gay men and Asian gay men as well as how we promote workplace and sporting inclusion for LGBTI people. Attendees will also be able to find out more about the our Rovers and the Fair Players, teams of volunteers who help keep partygoers safe and protected at all the big Mardi Gras events and parties.

WHAT:                 ACON Zone and Doggywood at Mardi Gras Fair Day

WHEN:                 Sunday 19 February 2017, 10am – 4pm

WHERE:              Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Newtown

COST:                   FREE

ENDS | *LGBTIQ = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer

For more information please contact:

David Alexander, ACON Media and Communications Officer

E: dalexander@acon.org.au   T: +61 (02) 9206 2044   M: +61 (0)428 477 042