Midsumma Festival Welcomes RMIT University as New Major Partner
Midsumma Festival is proud to announce a landmark new partnership with RMIT University, joining the festival as a Major Partner for the 2026 season. This collaboration brings together Victoria’s leading LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festival with Australia’s leading university for art and design.
As a Major Partner, RMIT will play a significant role in supporting Midsumma’s expansive 2026 program, celebrating queer art, storytelling and visibility across Victoria, while helping nurture the next generation of creative talent.
The partnership deepens existing connections between Midsumma and RMIT’s schools, practitioners, students and alumni, and opens new pathways for collaboration in digital design, fashion, media, research, and community engagement.
Karen Bryant, CEO of Midsumma Festival, said:
“RMIT’s commitment to creativity, inclusion and social impact makes the university a natural partner for Midsumma. We are thrilled to welcome RMIT into the Midsumma family as a Major Partner and look forward to working together to amplify queer voices, champion diverse stories and create opportunities for emerging talent across Victoria.”
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Vocational Education and Vice-President Mish Eastman, RMIT University, said:
“RMIT is proud to stand with our rainbow community as Midsumma’s new Major Partner. Our university community is proudly diverse, built on inclusion, creativity and cultural leadership.
This partnership allows us to champion LGBTQIA+ communities while providing hands-on opportunities for our students across multiple disciplines. We’re excited to help bring the 2026 Festival to life.”
A Partnership for Creativity, Inclusion and Community
As part of the Major Partnership, RMIT will support key festival programming, design and media projects, student placements, and collaborative initiatives aligned with both organisations' values of inclusion, innovation and community impact. This includes opportunities for students to engage with real-world creative work, and for the broader community to experience the festival through RMIT-led activations and projects.
About Midsumma Festival
Midsumma Festival is Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ cultural festival, running 18 January – 8 February 2026. The festival showcases queer arts and culture through over 200 events across more than 160 venues throughout Victoria, attracting more than 300,000 attendees annually.
About RMIT University
RMIT is an international university of technology, design and enterprise with more than 99,000 students and just over 12,000 staff globally. RMIT empowers people and communities to adapt and thrive across generations, with education, research and civic engagement that are applied, inclusive and impactful.
www.rmit.edu.au
