Sydney has been revealed as the top Australian city for LGBTQ+ dating, following the release of a new study.
With its three-week long Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival and its long history of LGBTQ+ activism, Sydney also features the most LGBTQ+ festivals and events and 12 LGBTQ+ clubs and bars.
Melbourne comes in second with 11 festivals, eight registered LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, and Adelaide ranks third, with nine LGBTQ+ festivals, and five registered clubs and bars.
Pleasure retailer Lovehoney ranked the major Australian cities based on the five following factors:
- The number of LGBTQ+ bars and clubs
- LGBTQ+ festivals and events
- Dating app search volume
- Safety score per city
- The percentage of same-sex couples
The top 10 cities in the ranking were revealed as:
# | City | LGBTQ+
Festivals/ Events |
LGBTQ+
Clubs/Bars |
Dating App Search Volume per 10,000 people | Safety Score | Same-Sex Couples (%) | Total Score |
1 | Sydney | 18 | 12 | 15.1274651 | 65.7 | 0.318 | 100.000 |
2 | Melbourne | 11 | 8 | 16.48464867 | 43.8 | 0.257 | 64.713 |
3 | Adelaide | 9 | 5 | 19.91454701 | 66.7 | 0.071 | 63.153 |
4 | Brisbane | 9 | 2 | 16.80458911 | 63.4 | 0.201 | 60.509 |
5 | Geelong | 1 | 4 | 3.096879231 | 76 | 0.257 | 48.362 |
6 | Newcastle | 2 | 1 | 14.92014479 | 50.1 | 0.318 | 46.234 |
7 | Perth | 5 | 5 | 12.49638817 | 57.6 | 0.106 | 43.924 |
8 | Gold Coast | 2 | 8 | 7.777193549 | 53.1 | 0.201 | 43.390 |
9 | Wollongong | 0 | 9 | 6.502618159 | 50.8 | 0.318 | 36.473 |
10 | Hobart | 4 | 1 | 6.923417768 | 76.8 | 0.022 | 34.436 |
According to Lovehoney, the methodology included compiling a list of the 20 largest cities in Australia, based on population. Data was then gathered and indexed, with scores for all factors summed. This was then normalised to convert all values to positive, leaving a total score.
The cities were ranked from highest to lowest, based on this total score, with a higher score producing a better ranking, with a maximum score of 100.
Lovehoney is a manufacturer and distributor of pleasure products. The company was founded in 2002.