In Pictures: MCQP 2023 – Back to the Future

MCQP (Mother City Queer Project), one of Cape Town’s most iconic queer events, made a triumphant return on Saturday night after three years in limbo.

The annual themed costume extravaganza welcomed revellers at Cape Town’s Cabo Beach Club for a night of music, creativity, fashion and performances.

This year’s theme, ‘Back to the Future’, sought to look forward to new possibilities while acknowledging the 29-year-legacy of the institution.

The very first MCQP celebration was catalysed by the fall of apartheid and the groundbreaking inclusion of LGBTQIA+ rights in democratic South Africa’s Constitution.

Ronen Klugman, one of the new owners of MCQP, revealed that his team took time to really understand the history and “the how and the why” of the event, including meeting with one of the founders.

“MCQP, Mother City Queer Project, means a lot to a lot of people, besides the fun, and it’s significant in terms of who it represents,” he said.

The event included a donation drive for Passop, a community-based, non-profit organisation devoted to African LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants.

Ziyanda Yono was there to capture these images exclusively for MambaOnline.