Queensland’s Birdsville Big Red Bash has given a fitting tribute to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on the eve of the iconic film’s 30th Birthday. The world’s most remote music festival, set 1500km west of Brisbane at Birdsville in the Simpson Desert, has raised over $73,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) – and counting. Adventure-loving drag queens and kings Adventure-loving drag kings and queens gathered on the peak of the 40-metre high Big Red Sand Dune – the largest of its kind in the world – for the annual Bashville Drags Race and Fashions in the Desert.
The charity fun run is a staple of the festival, involving a 1km sprint from the top of the dune and around the campsite. Competition was steep to name this year’s ‘Queen of the Desert’, with runners transforming into everything from cheerleaders to Baywatch lifeguards, golden frill-neck lizards, and a gaggle of Dame Edna s. A post shared by Birdsville Big Red Bash (@bigredbash) With each runner contributing a $35 donation to enter, the event raised $14,385 for the RFDS.
In addition, $59,000 was raised from merchandise sales, donations, and entries to July 4’s Nutbush World Record Attempt, bringing the total amount raised throughout the multi-day event to over $73,000. Big Red Bash shows the generous Aussie spirit Steve Donovan , Operations Manager for the promoters Outback Music Festival Group, enthused, “It’s awesome to witness the tradition of the Bashville Drags Ra.
