Sir Ian McKellen at the Aurora Annual Dinner 2010
Sir Ian McKellen at the Aurora Annual Dinner 2010
Aurora Dinner
The Aurora Dinner is a glamorous and unmissable event on the Sydney GLBT social calendar. Held in late June each year, the event commemorates International Stonewall Day and brings our community together in celebration.
The dinner is also an important fundraiser for many community projects and causes. Funds are raised on the night through raffles, silent auctions and live auctions, allowing all guests to participate within their means.
The dinner features champagne, cocktails and canapés on arrival, a wonderful three course meal (with excellent options for our vegetarian guests) and free flowing wine and drinks throughout the night.
The Aurora Dinner is both formal and fun. The dress code is traditionally ‘Fabulously Formal’ which for many means black tie / evening wear, but is open to all sorts of interpretation, particularly if guests which to add a touch of flamboyance or reference the theme for the dinner in their outfit.
Since 2007, the Aurora Dinner has had a theme each year. Past themes have been Diamonds Are Forever (2007), Hollywoodland (2008), New York, New York (2009) and All You Need Is Love (2010).
The Aurora Dinner has featured some of Australia’s finest entertainers, including Caroline O’Connor, Mitchell Butel, Tamsin Carroll, Christine Anu, Debra Byrne, Todd McKenney and Paul Capsis, to name just a few.
Each year, the dinner features an inspiring keynote address. Past keynote speakers have included Sir Ian McKellen, High Court Justice Virginia Bell, David Marr and Neil Armfield. Special guest speakers have also included Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir Governor of NSW and Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor of Sydney, both of whom will be joining us again for the 2011 Aurora Dinner.
In addition to the annual Aurora Annual Dinner, we occasionally host other events throughout the year.
Since 2008, Aurora has hosted Fat Tuesday during Sydney’s Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras season. Fat Tuesday (the English translation of the French ‘Mardi Gras’) is a celebration of indulgence – great food, wines and entertainment – one of our favourite nights of the year. A sell-out event each year so far, Fat Tuesday has been hosted at Slide and Civic Dining. Details for Fat Tuesday 2012 will be announced in December or January. Join our email list to ensure you get your invitation!
Our “Plucked” dinner series, held at Bilson’s Restaurant between 2005 and 2008, was a great treat to fans of fine food, fine wine, and fine words. Plucked dinner highlights have included Chris Masters speaking on his controversial Alan Jones biography, Jonestown, legendary director Wayne Harrison directing some of Australia’s finest actors, appearances by the casts of Holding The Man, Parramatta Girls and Priscilla the Musical, and audiences with iconic US authors Armistead Maupin and Augusten Burroughs. We’re considering a revival of the Plucked dinners in 2011-2012.
Aurora also encourages other individuals and groups to host events as fundraisers for Aurora. One initiative that has been particularly successful has been Aurora supporters holding parties for ‘significant’ birthdays, and asking their guests to donate to Aurora in their name. Our great thanks to those generous individuals who have ‘donated’ their birthdays to Aurora to date. If you would like to organise something similar, please contact us.
