CALENDAR     GABA HERO FESTIVAL LAUNCH 1 February - 6:00pm - Birdcage 133 Franklin Rd, Ponsonby Auckland's HERO Festival is back - and the Gay Auckland Business Association (GABA) are set to kick it off in style at their first Fruits & Suits event of the year. GABA are taking over the larger garden bar of our regular venue, The Birdcage, for a night of celebration. This GABA event will be open to everyone, not just GABA members. Things to look forward to: - Lots of people - Reports & News of the upcoming Hero Events - Prizes & Giveaways - Lots of classic gay music from the last 30 yrs. - Launch of the new GABA online directory - Plus all our usual Fruits fun. It's gonna be one great party and a great way to start off GABA for 2006. More details: www.gaba.org.nz     GLORY HOLE A Queer Multimedia Flesh Circus (R18) 11 - 18 February - 9:00pm - TAPAC 100 Motions Rd, Western Springs (opp. Zoo) A new theatrical monster is about to be born. Glory Hole will explore the world of man-to-man cruising, an activity that is not often talked about and rarely explored. The show is described as a 'queer collaborative flesh circus' and will confront the senses as the audience peers into the lives and locales of men who have sex with men. Bookings: www.ticketek.com - (09) 307-5000     DRAG KING WORKSHOP 11 February Want to be a drag king but not sure how? Come and take part in this one-day workshop. You will be taught how to choose a character, costume, and music, apply makeup and how to perform in front of people. Earlybird Tickets: $60 Contact: Cath Cocker - (09) 372-6843 catherine.cocker@xtra.co.nz     BIG GAY OUT 12 February - 12 Noon - 7:00pm - Coyle Park Pt Chevalier The 2006 Big Gay Out will be a bigger and brighter event than ever before - featuring a diverse line-up of top performers, including The Drag Kings, GALS and Buckwheat, a dance tent, a wide variety of food stalls, bars and a focus on fun events throughout the day! The New Zealand AIDS Foundation has been involved with this event since its inception, and views it as an important chance to engage with the gay community and distribute safe sex information and resources. Free Entry - Donations can be made on the day to support the work of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. For more information or to volunteer, contact: Garreth Spillane - (09) 300 6965 bgo@nzaf.org.nz     BIG GAY OUT RECOVERY PARTY (R18) 12 February - 7:00pm - 12 Midnight - QUEEN 25 Cross Street (off Mercury Lane) A recovery party follows this year's Big Gay Out. QUEEN will play host to an early evening 'Tea Dance' - the perfect way to finish off your Big Gay Out festivities. The BGO Recovery Party starts immediately after the Big Gay Out finishes at 7pm and goes through till midnight, so come join DJs Donald Bennett and Marty for an evening of pumping, funky, sexy, dirty, tribal house. Tickets: $10 at the door. More details: www.salvation.co.nz     THE THIRD ANNUAL GREAT AUCKLAND CENTRAL DEBATE 13 February - Drinks 6:30pm Debate 7:30pm - Hopetoun Alpha 19 Beresford Square, Auckland Central Featuring a star-studded line up of politicians and Auckland Central identities including: Hon Chris Carter MP, Maryan Street MP, Hon Lianne Dalziel MP, Russell 'Blogger' Brown, Edward 'Buckwheat' Cowley, Steven 'Good Morning' Gray, Ross 'Franklin Rd Xmas Lights' Thorby, and Dame Catherine Tizard. The moot 'The straight line is godless and immoral.' Tickets: $25 pre-sale or $30 on the door. More details: http://hero.tizard.org.nz     FILM PREMIERE FUNDRAISER - 'CAPOTE' 14 February - 8.00pm for a free glass of bubbles, film starts 8.30pm Rialto Cinema - Newmarket. Truman Capote (played by Philip Semour Hoffman) - a very prominent American writer in the mid-1900s, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Halcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to do research for an article. His research develops into a book "In Cold Blood", during which the writer develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers. This throws Capote into a personal and literary dilemma. This film was voted the best picture of 2005 by a group of leading US film critics and Hoffman received a Golden Globe for his role. This event is a fundraiser for Gayline / Lesbianline. Tickets: $20 available from the cinema and at the Big Gay Out. Special thanks to Rialto Cinemas and Sony Film.     THE MORRISONS (IN QUEEN) 14 - 16th February - 8:00pm (Bar opens 7.30pm) QUEEN - 25 Cross Street, Auckland Central Recently returned home from an eighteen year world tour and fresh from their sell-out performance at Shanghai Lil's and Silo Theatre, The Morrisons are now set to wow Auckland’s HERO Festival with three outrageous camp cabaret spectaculars playing for three nights at QUEEN nightclub. Featuring their infamously quirky covers, ranging from The Smiths to Straightjacket Fits (plus three new numbers especially for HERO), The Morrisons (in QUEEN) provide a night of unforgettable musical mayhem and hilarity that’s not to be missed. Tickets: $15 from Marvel Menswear, the Women’s Bookshop or at door. More details: www.themorrisons.co.nz     HERO BOWLING TOURNAMENT 15 February - 7:00pm - Tenpin Takapuna 2 Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna Entry Fee: $20.00 Contact: Larry Quickenden - (09) 376-2600     HOMIE-SEXUAL (R18) 16 February - 9:00pm - Urge 490 K’Rd, Auckland Central A hip hop, R&B, crunk & grime club night for gay players. HOMIESEXUAL took Auckland's GLBT scene by surprise late 2005, packing out URGE in November and December's club nights. Wellington liked the taste in January, ending in an orgy of shirts off on the dance floor. HERO Festival welcomes HOMIESEXUAL back to URGE in Auckland with our resident thug DJs & free tequila shot for the first 100 thru the door. Tickets: At the door. $5 before 10.30pm, $10 after.     GAYLINE TENNIS TOURNAMENT 17 February - 6:00pm - West End Tennis Club 2 Fife Street, Westmere. This is our ninth annual tennis event of sport, fun and fellowship. Spectators and hecklers are welcome! There will be great prizes (for almost everyone) and a raffle for a magnum of French champagne. A cash BBQ and bar will also available. Format: A rotating round robin of doubles (triples have been known!) Entry Fee: $20 at the event. Register with Neville Creighton - (09) 303-3584 Special thanks to Westend Tennis Club and Malcolm Pacific Ltd (Immigration Consultants).     HEROIC GARDENS 18 - 19 February - 10:00am - 6:00pm This summer’s festival will be the tenth and it will showcase the best from the past as well as some new gardens. Heroic Gardens is a yearly event, which has become a much-enjoyed part of the Auckland summer calendar. It appeals to a broad spectrum of the community and provides an opportunity to see a diverse range of gardens and to meet the garden owners. Tickets: $30 - valid for both days. More details: www.heroicgardens.org.nz     FLIRT (R18) 18 February - 10:00pm - Bacio 309 K’Rd (above Kiss Bar) Flirt is a friendly, unpretentious night for women who wanna dance, have fun and just be all round sexy! The Hero theme is Skirt Night! A portion of the door sales will be given to a charity. Shows will be happening throughout the night. Prizes for the best legs. C’mon ladies. Lets go flirt in those skirts... Tickets: $10 at the door. More details: www.wannaflirt.co.nz     CHOCOLATE FISH SWIM MEET 18 February - 7:30pm - Tepid Baths Auckland City Social swimming competition with chocolate fish for prizes! The swim events will be followed by a BBQ. Entry Fee: $10 at the event.     DRAG KINGS & DJ'S (R18) 24 February - 4:20 This event runs on the last Friday of every month and will be hosted by Bumper Bar from King Victoria, Melbourne. DJ Kirsty (George FM) will be playing and there will be special guests from Melbourne. Plus our fantastic Auckland Drag performers, Cath O’lick, Graham Capable, Tom Erge, Slash and Burn, Dicky Rose, Randy Chapp and many more... Tickets: $20 at the door.     LESBIAN TEA DANCE 18 February - 5.30pm - 9.30pm Grey Lynn Community Centre Ballroom dancing, latin dancing and disco! This will be a fun evening, come and take part in a different dancing experience. Tickets: $10 at the door. Contact: Kerstin - kerstin@passivehouse.org     HERO PARTY (R18) 25 February - 10:00pm - 7:00am Studio & Galatos 340 K'Rd, Auckland Central 42 Below Vodka and George FM present the 2006 HERO Party. This is NZ's ultimate poly-sexual dance extravanganza... gay, straight, bi, undecided... who cares... it's an excuse for a party and what a fantastic party it is! The party will be held on Saturday, February 25th and will be spread across two Auckland venues - Studio and Galatos, as well as Galatos Street (especially closed for the HERO Party). This multi-venue concept gives people a large outdoor area in which to mingle and a choice of two separate venues in which to play... Just like a mini-Mardi Gras! Four guest international DJs - Paul Heron (London), Jamie Head (London), Matt Steer (Brisbane) and Ruby (Sydney) will be joined by Therese (London) the amazing Swedish vocalist from Stonebridge’s massive tracks, "Take Me Away" & "Put Em High", along with local DJs - Antony, Danielle Greer, Darryl & Mark, Donald Bennett, Karl Moser, Luke James, Marty, Mauri, Shorty (and more to be announced soon). The party will feature: - Multiple dance spaces - Stunning Oracle lasers and visual projection - Psyklonic mirrored objects - A spacious outdoor chill-out zone - Fabulous big-room shows - 42 Below Vodka cocktail bars - Separate men's & women's spaces This will certainly be an event that you don't want to miss... so avoid any disappointment on the night and get your ticket now! Tickets: $45 + BF Earlybird, $69 + BF Pre-sale. More details: www.heroparty.co.nz     HERO AFTER-PARTY (R18) 26 February - 6:00am Downstairs at Family, K'Rd Family's downstairs nightclub (the old Voyager venue) plays host to the official HERO After-Party for those wising to continue with their HERO festivities after the main HERO Party closes. Entry Fee: Free with your HERO Party stamp.     FEATURE EVENTS             LATEST NEWS   6 DECEMBER 2005 Spanning nearly two decades, Auckland's infamous HERO Festival returns for another year with a fresh new look! A dedicated group of volunteers have been busy redesigning the HERO Festival brand and have come up with a modern logo and a sharp, easy to use website to appeal to all involved in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) community - or 'polysexual' as the group like to call it. "The brand image of the HERO Festival needed to be freshened up to reflect the diverse and fast moving pace of our respected community," says Sarah Lambourne a member of the HERO brand management group. The HERO Festival runs for two weeks in February and will showcase a number of events for the GLBT community. The cornerstone events for the HERO Festival are in place for next year. In keeping with tradition, the Big Gay Out will open the festival on Febuary 12, with two weeks of great events to follow; the HERO Debate, Heroic Gardens, the HERO Party and much more. The HERO brand management group are keen to attract new people to the festival but will be careful not to exclude those that have been attending over the past 15 years. "We are really excited to have such a variety of events for the festival. Our aim is two-fold, to keep the events that we know appeal to our existing community and to also invite new ideas for events that attract a new audience," says Sarah Lambourne. There is a survey on the new website which is open to all, to gather feedback about the festival and also as a vechicle to stay in touch with the community. "We certainly appreciate any interest and feedback on what people feel has worked in the past and also areas that can be improved. We regard this as an extremely important exercise and one of the reasons for creating this new brand to reach as many people out there as possible". To encourage as much feedback as possible, anyone who fills in the online survey will go in the draw to win a HERO Party pack or two tickets to the awesome Heroic Gardens.   17 FEBRUARY 2006 HERO DISH COMPETITION This year, HERO have invited businesses along K-Road and Ponsonby Road to create a signature dish that showcases their creative abilities, while celebrating the spirit of HERO. The HERO Dish Competition has the following objectives: - To develop and strengthen links between the HERO Festival and the restaurant, bar, food service sectors. - To increase pride in, and awareness of the GLBT community in Auckland. - To showcase the creative abilities of Auckland businesses. The signature dish can be any menu item. For example, it could be a breakfast dish built for a "Hero" or a special dish of the day such as "Heroic Garden Salad". Dishes get judged on uniqueness, presentation and flavour. The winner receives a cash prize and promotional opportunities through local media and websites. Entrants so far: - Revel, K Road "K's Best Dressed Breast and a Naughty Noodle" - Kamo, K Road "Honey Your My Hero - It's sweet & sticky like all good boys should be!" - Sitio, Ponsonby Road "Fairy Cakes" - Cafe a la Raskil, K Road "Fafa-Suey   HERO PARTY PHOTOS   Check out the 2006 HERO Party photos by CLICKING HERE.     HERO PARTY PROMO   42 Below Vodka (one of the primary sponsors for this year's HERO Party) have come up with a very funny promo for the party. You can watch it by clicking on the link below (though you may want to listen with headphones if you're in an office environment!)   VIEW PROMO     HERO SURVEY   The HERO Festival has evolved considerably over the last decade. Now, more than ever before, we need to know where the HERO Festival fits within the community. This is your chance to provide feedback on what you want out of your HERO Festival. Take part in our survey and go in the draw to win one of two HERO Party packs or passes to Heroic Gardens!   START THE SURVEY NOW     CONTACT US   To contact HERO, just send an email to: info@hero.org.nz     HERO ARCHIVE   Do you have any photos, stories or memorabilia from past HERO Festivals? We want to hear from you if you do! For the first time, we are compiling an archive of HERO Festivals, so this is your chance to make a contribution. Email through your details to: info@hero.org.nz.     LINKS   Check out these links to other great community websites:                             HERO WEBSITE   Copyright © 2006 Hero Brand Management Group. All rights reserved. Web design: M2 Events Ltd.