Rainbow Serpent Festival 2016 / Facebook

Rainbow Serpent Festival Confronting Gender-Based Violence With New Safe Space In 2017

Victoria’s Rainbow Serpent Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2017, and ahead of its January shenanigans, organisers have announced a new safe space called The Nest, which will include support services for women, trans and gender-diverse people experiencing gender-based violence at the event.

Rainbow Serpent organisers say they are “determined to provide an environment where all people feel safe, respected and included”, and are launching some new initiatives and policies next year.

One of them, The Nest, will feature a Women’s Room (for all women, gender non-binary and trans people) and a Communal Space, as well as Dancewize operations featuring Government-funded services aimed at drug and alcohol related harm reduction. The Nest will be open 24 hours a day during the festival, and management and staff also recently undertook transgender and gender diversity training.

Organisers have also said that “Wicked Campervans or any vehicle with sexist, degrading or abusive comments or slogans are not welcome at Rainbow Serpent Festival”, advising that “anyone turning up to Rainbow with slogans on their vehicle that demeans or degrades anyone may be denied entry”.

Earlier this year, police attended to four reports of sexual assault at Rainbow Serpent Festival, as well as three cases of theft. 45 drivers were also caught allegedly under the influence of drugs driving away from the festival, and five people were arrested for drug trafficking.

Rainbow Serpent Festival 2017 kicks off on 27th January, and finishes up on the 30th. Catch the full lineup, below.

For more information about Rainbow Serpent Festival’s new Nest space, head to the festival website.

If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732, while Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.

Rainbow Serpent 2017 second lineup:

Astrix

Andhim

Guy J

Guy Mantzur

Dusty Kid

Mathew Jonson

Eelke Kleijn

Function

Justin Jay

Patrice Bäumel

Adriana Lopez

Slamboree

YT & Monkey Marc

Rainbow Serpent 2017 first lineup:

Shpongle (Simon Posford DJ Set)

Hallucinogen

Extrawelt LIVE

Ott & The All-Seeing I

D-Nox & Beckers

Perfect Stranger

Avalon

ANNA

WEHBBA

CID INC

DJ Pena

Symphonix

DJ Tristan

Dickster

Freedom Fighters

Killerwatts

Ranji

Radikal Guru

The Herd

[dunkelbunt]

James Monro

Darshan

Bumbling Loons

4D

Nanoplex

Renegade DJ

Degiheugi

Friday, 22nd January – Monday, 25th January

Lexton, Victoria

Tickets: Rainbow Serpent

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