A masquerade, mardi gras-style street parade will start off Queer Pride Week in Dunedin this year.
The parade on Friday, August 21, begins in the Octagon and ends outside the University of Otago dental school building.
It is understood to be the first such parade in Dunedin and is expected to comprise about 100 costumed participants.
Organiser South Murdoch yesterday said the after-party would be at the Captain Cook Hotel, which was chosen because it was a "straight" pub that gays would not usually "set foot in".
Ms Murdoch said "straight" venues being chosen for gay events was an initiative employed in other cities and was known as a "fag tag".
"It's all about people being in that environment that are gay and proud; a safety-in-numbers type of thing."
Ms Murdoch was not sure how regular hotel patrons would view the arrival of drag queens.
A spokesman for the hotel said the management had no problem accepting the booking from pride week organisers.
