Australian embassies and diplomats regularly host functions that draw attendance from diverse, influential stakeholders as a core part of diplomacy and advancing Australia’s policies priorities and interests internationally.

Celebrating Pride Month has been an integral part of the Australian Embassy in Washington DC’s public diplomacy since 2017. A key element of this has been hosting a Pride Reception which began in 2021 at the Deputy Chief of Mission’s Residence and which has grown in size and stature since then.

In 2024, the Embassy’s Pride event again hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission was deliberately designed to mark the handover from Sydney WorldPride to next year’s WorldPride host, Washington DC and included hundreds of guests from Congress and across government, media and the private sector. This was also the first time this event was able to be held in the new Australian Embassy in Washington DC. It included a performance by Australia’s entry into the Eurovision song contest during a pre-existing tour of the United States.

The Embassy’s 2024 celebration mirrored major events held by the White House, and at the Vice President’s Residence, as well as the Congress, US federal agencies and other diplomatic missions in Washington DC.

FOI reference number LEX11468