A new app has launched to track LGBTQI+ events and parties for every night of the week.
KIKII is the brainchild of Michael Mahle, also known as DJ Marco Mani, who created the platform following repeated text messages with friends.
“The idea came from a very familiar problem: it’s Friday night, the group chat is asking ‘What’s on?’ and everyone is either scrolling through Instagram stories, checking promoter pages one by one, or trying to remember which ticketing site had that event they saw earlier in the week,” he said.
The platform is intended to roll all of that into one place to make it “easier for the LGBTQIA+ community to find out what’s on, plan a night out and discover events beyond the usual big-name parties.”
Mahle said that, as a DJ, he saw how much work went into queer nightlife beyond just the big parties, with small promoters and not-for-profit events all working to keep the scene alive.
“For me, KIKII is about celebrating the full ecosystem of queer nightlife,” he said.
“Our spaces do so much more than give us somewhere to go out; they create connection, safety, joy, expression and community.”
Going onto the site today, it lists the launch of throbb at Trough X, Glee: 17th Anniversary Party at Home, WTF Fridays at The Imperial, Friday Fun at Stonewall Newtown and Painted, Hung & On Display, also at The Imperial.
Currently, the platform has over 100 live events across 700 venues and 60 promoters, with more to be added as it grows.
How it works, says Mahle, is that the platform fetches LGBTQIA+ and queer-friendly events from multiple sources, including Eventbrite and Humanitix, and brings them onto the platform.
“It can detect when new events have been posted, surface them for review, and keep the site fresh without relying on people manually searching across multiple platforms,” he said.
However, there is a human element, with Mahle acting as the moderator to ensure it stays queer- and LGBTQIA+-focused.
One of the key differences, says Mahle, is that KIKII helps people discover new events, not just showing them the same old options.
It does this by tagging events with categories such as vibes, music styles, crowd types and more, allowing a curated experience for people who sign up.
“Whether someone is into drag, techno, pop nights or rooftop drinks, KIKII is designed to make discovery feel easier and more personal,” he said.
Mahle said he was hopeful of adding more promoters to the platform to help grow the site and give everyone a fuller picture of a good night out.
“At its heart, KIKII is about solving the ‘What are we doing tonight?’ problem for the community,” he said.
“It helps people find events faster, gives smaller promoters more visibility and makes it easier for people to support queer nightlife across Sydney.”
