Rave Relief: a brief timeline
2019
Rave Relief was conceived by Lucky Pete & Cooper Cooper, at the then brand new Rechabite. We packed out the Hall for a hugely successful and loved-up debut, while Snatch independently ran their own event in the Goodwill Basement.
Our ambition was to create an affordable and alternative Pride celebration which represented our tastes in art and culture, and which gave back to and supported the community rather than using the occasion as a business opportunity to profit from Queer people.
We decided all proceeds would be donated to charities, and to this present day Rave Relief remains a not-for-profit event.
2020
Pete continued on the project, inviting the broader input from folk around the queer community, who were instrumental in expanding the scope of Rave Relief.
This year we began the volunteer Wellness Team of roving peer support, known at the time as “Rave Aunties/Uncles”, and later “Awareness Team”. The event began to take a greater interest in accessibility measures, including quieter spaces and sensory considerations. We produced a “Rave-Safe” booklet with the help of a few.
It was another sell-out event which solidified Rave Relief as an annual highlight of Pride month.
2021-2022
Rave Relief teamed up with the grassroots activist crew Boorloo Justice and their event “Decolonise Pride”, beginning the first of two collaborative years known as Rave Relief X Decolonise Pride. The collab brought another dimension of intent and inclusion to the event, diversifying the bookings and showcasing Boorloo’s emerging talent.
Boorloo Justice organised huge teams of volunteers to expand the Awareness Team’s capacity and also bring more art into the spaces in the form of handcrafted visual installations, in addition to the art gallery space they set up in the foyer.
The event kicked off with a warm and heartfelt Welcome to Country by Ingrid Cumming which evoked smiles and goosebumps among all those in the room.
2023
Rave Relief continued independently, after Boorloo Justice as a group took a step back from running events, with the exception of Jamie and Anesu, who joined Pete in making up the core team for Rave Relief – Pride 2023, alongside many helping hands. We tried our best to uphold many of the important values and considerations learned from the past years of collaboration.
TransFolk of WA generously became our auspice and after the event we began ideating how best to set up an ongoing mutual aid fund for gender affirming care.
2024
This year Rave Relief expanded beyond The Rechabite into the neighbouring venues.
The Lubly Dae and House of BOK crews came together to throw their first LublyBOK stage on the Mechanics’ rooftop, and at Alabama Song we had a Hearts of Darkness takeover followed by a late night of queer burlesque acts.
Luci Young brought together the Knit-wits for a truly unique install of knitted recycled fabrics creating a web through the Hall.
Boorloo Ballroom Community shook the room apart with a finale experience that once again cemented their integral part of Rave Relief as an annual tradition.
2025
Following the success and shared enjoyment of the previous year, the LublyBOK crew (Neil, Elijah, Lulk, Sarah, Kevin) were welcomed aboard, joining Pete on the core team for Rave Relief 2025.
The rest is yet to be written!
Rave Relief happens because of the hearts, drive, and generosity of many many individuals who volunteer or contribute in both large and smaller ways every year.
We thank everyone who has ever helped or supported, in any capacity, including many who’ve come back to pitch in year after year! <3