Port Douglas is set to get Hot and Steamy as the Far North’s premier LGBTQI+ festival kicks off tonight.

Over the next five days, from 18 to 22 February, the Hot and Steamy Festival will celebrate LGBTQI+ culture through a slew of events in iconic Port Douglas locations.

Directors Nathan Clarke and Jason Penrose have championed tirelessly over a challenging year to create a weekend itinerary of events highlighting the natural beauty of the region while attracting hundreds of visitors during a traditionally quite time.

“Feedback from last year was so incredible, so this year we’ve increased the number of events as well as the calibre of talent here to entertain. It’s still definitely hot and steamy, but bolder and better for sure,” Mr Clarke said.

A number of events will be held across the weekend including Koko poolside bar and kitchen’s Vintage Swimwear Show, Salsa Bar & Grill TITT Lunch, The Sugar Wharf White Party, Get Lei’d Luau at Zinc Restaurant, the Central Hotel’s main festival party, Niramaya Villas & Spa SOAKED Pool Party, plus more.

Cabaret star and Berlin boy-wonder, Hans will be headlining the festival appearing at multiple events alone with a number of national DJs.

Some of the planned entertainment had to be cancelled at the last minute due to border restrictions for Melbourne, however Mr Clarke said the show must go on.

“The entertainment industry is one that has been hit the hardest through the pandemic, yet is continually amongst the most generous in times of need.

“We were able to negotiate an extra performance with our headline act, Hans, to fill in a major gap, while other affected events, such as the Vintage Swimwear Show at Koko’s, have been quick to identify what they lost and what they could do to make sure they are still putting on exceptional shows.”

Koko’s is putting on a vintage swimwear Runway Show on Saturday 20 February as part of the festival and Robyn Buick, operations manager at Peppers Beach Club said Koko’s provide the perfect atmosphere for such an event.

“We really wanted to be part of the festival this year as it is a fantastic opportunity for Port Douglas to showcase all we have to offer,” she said.

“Think vintage swimwear from Splish Splash, gorgeous models and a few surprises for our guests.”

Mr Clarke said while organisers were very disappointed that Victorian festival goers would not be able to join the party, it did mean some of the sold out shows were able to release more tickets.

“On the upside, it did mean we were also able to fulfil some of the quite extensive waiting lists for particular events, like the Friday Night White Party and the Sunset Booze Cruise.”

Mr Clarke added that in its second year, Hot and Steamy will be bigger, bolder, and sweatier then before.

“The incredibly positive feedback from last year’s event gave us the grit and determination to really build this festival to best represent our beautiful region as well as the LGBTQI+ community.

“In terms of what to expect, we’ve kept the formula similar to last year – showing off how damn pretty this town is and how welcoming the people are. There’s excellent music to dance to, world class cabaret to enjoy, delicious food on offer and no better reason to get frocked up.

“What really makes it special is that we get to celebrate diversity – diversity amongst people, diversity of the beauty of this region, and the bringing together of community from all over the country. We are so proud to live here, and want to share that with as many people as we can.

“It fills us with great pride (pun intended) to bring an event like this to our region, especially one that celebrates diversity and community at a time when everyone needs a little extra joy,” he said.”