South Africa will host 10th edition of the Mr Gay World 2018

The Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival will make history by hosting the 10th edition of the Mr Gay World competition in Knysna, South Africa, in May 2018.

Mr Gay World is an annual global competition to find a spokesperson who best represents the finest qualities of the gay community and embodies the spirit of his nation. It is also an international platform where gay men from across the world come together to share their stories.

This will be the third time that South Africa has presented the prestigious event. It will also be the second time that the contest will be held during the Pink Loerie, Africa’s biggest LGBT+ cultural festival.

Eric Butter, President of Mr Gay World, explained: “The 10th Mr Gay World marks a milestone and is very important for our organisation. We have worked with the team in South Africa twice and it has always been a great pleasure; they have the very best work ethic and they always deliver a world class event.”

And he added: “We also decided on South Africa because we wanted the international community to support the rebuilding of Knysna after the devastating fires in June by incorporating it with the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival Knysna 2018.”

Since the blazes ravaged the region, the Pink Loerie organisers have played an active role in raising funds, sourcing material assistance and bringing awareness about the crisis in order to bolster the local community.

This was acknowledged by the Executive Mayor of Knysna, Eleanore Bouw-Spies, who thanked the festival for its efforts. She and the Knysna Municipality also enthusiastically welcomed the town’s hosting of Mr Gay World 2018 as a further boost to its recovery.

The last edition was in Maspalomas (Spain) and the winner was John Raspado from Philippines.

The last edition's candidates

The last edition's winner, John Raspado (center) from Philippines