Vernice Gillies is a Menang Elder who is passionate about cultural heritage, conservation and preservation of cultural knowledge and traditions. Vernice has a long history in presenting cross-cultural awareness workshops and teaching students about Indigenous tourism. She has worked extensively with the Albany Heritage Reference Group on projects such as the Oyster Harbour Fish Traps Conservation Project and the Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja Exhibition.

Vernice received the 2019 Senior Citizen of the Year Award for the Albany region.

(Credit: Kurrah Mia)

BarbieQ is Albany Pride royalty – first performing at Albany Pride Festival back in 2017, and returning each year since!

BarbieQ is renowned in the drag performance community, with over twenty years in the industry. She’s a multi-award winner, a dancer since the age of thirteen (with a five year career as a dancer for Princess Cruises in the USA) and is the Entertainment Manager for Connections Nightclub in Perth.

If that’s not enough, BarbieQ is also a regular Fringe Festival performer in Perth, which shows such as The Madonna Circus: ReInvention and Drag Diva Spectacular.

It’s always an absolute delight to welcome BarbieQ back to Albany, who amazes our audiences with her artistry, moves, sharp wit, and delightfully vulgar language!

Alexas Armstrong is Drag Queen Royalty in Boorloo/Perth: but she’s also royalty down here in Albany/Kinjarling having been a regular performer at our Pride Festivals for many years.

Jamie the Clown is an Albany-based entertainer for kids – silly, energetic and skillful, and a dab hand with face painting.

Jamie the Clown does birthdays, festivals, fun days, weddings and more, providing magic shows and twisted balloon creations.

With a dynamic blend of genres and an infectious energy that lights up every dance floor, DJ Her Highness is a force to be reckoned with in the world of open format DJing. Known for her versatility and ability to seamlessly transition between hip-hop, house, pop, and everything in between, Her Highness creates an unforgettable musical experience that keeps crowds moving all night long.

(Credit: Soundcloud)

Alter Boy, the indie electro pop band from Perth, have defied the odds. Risking flash fame as a queer/trans/hard-of-hearing novelty act early in their career, they’ve now found their way into the hearts of the entire world. Labels other than ‘phenomenon’ are now redundant.

On the surface of it they create a highly accessible brand of electro pop, the sort you can dance to, snuggle up in bed with and introduce to your significant others. They’re like a black hole, everything and nothing all at the same time. You can take from Alter Boy’s music the whole of existence, or you can choose to let their pulses of sound/non-sound lap at your being while you create your own worlds. It’s all up to you, but what you have no choice about is whether you’ll be beguiled by this outfit from the shores of the Indian Ocean. You will and, no matter where you experience Alter Boy for the first time, afterwards you will forever feel their inexorable pull.

James BL Hollands is a local professional artist and, although from London, has lived in rural WA for the past 12 years. He has been a practicing artist for over 30 years. He graduated with a City and Guilds in Stonemasonry and Sculpture in 1995 and undertook a Masters in Computer Art at Thames Valley University, London in 2008.

He has held over17 solo installations and hundreds of film shows. He has been exhibited globally including the Tate Modern, ICA and Whitechapel, London and Liverpool and Prague biennnials. James was the curator of “London’s Home of the Avant-Garde”, The Horse Hospital, for 7 years, and his work can be found in collections such as St Martins British Artists Film and Video Study Collection, London; BFI Archives, London; Clark, Montreal and Divus, Prague.

Luke Simpson grew up in Denbarker and began performing with the Plantagenet Players at age seven, sparking a lifelong passion for the arts. A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Technical Productions: Lighting, Luke has worked across major venues including His Majesty’s, Crown, and the Regal Theatres, as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since returning to the Great Southern Region in 2021, he has operated his own technical production company, designed lighting and audio for Southern Edge Arts, and helped deliver the 2025 technical overhaul of Albany Town Hall. Luke now also works as a Tour and Technical Manager with Onyx Productions and Breaksea Inc., touring both locally and internationally.

Veronica Jean Jones is an Albany Pride Festival regular, coming down to Albany/Kinjarling many times over the past few years.

With a caustic wit and a filthy mouth, Veronica Jean Jones is a Drag Bingo and Trivia Night favourite during Pride Festival.

Tomas Clifford (he/him) is an award-winning cabaret artist, composer/lyricist, MC/host, and music theatre performer. With over 10 years of experience, Tomas is passionate about storytelling through music, and values new work in the Australian theatre and cabaret landscape.

Tomas debuted his original musical-cabaret, Tomas Clifford Got Stood Up, at FRINGE WORLD 2025, where it achieved critical acclaim and took home the highest accolade of the festival, the Martin Sims Award. The show was brought back by popular demand for an encore performance in May 2025 during the Perth Comedy Festival, and recently completed a successful season at Melbourne Fringe, including winning the Best Work by an Emerging Artist Award.

Tomas has been a featured writer/performer in many Home Grown showcases around Australia, and in multiple UpLate DownStairs variety shows during the Perth International Cabaret Festival. He is well-versed in many performance contexts, be it as a solo vocalist and host, or with a trio, quartet, or full ensemble of musicians.