Directory of International Queer Arts and Culture Festivals

A fun filled evening introduction to Queer West Village exciting art scene! One and all were welcomed during TORONTO FESTIVAL OF QUEER ARTS AND CULTURE August 12, 2010; there were queer cyclists; art lovers, couples, friends to total strangers, closed to 70 cyclist turned out for this first ever event.. The Gallery Night was art crawl style bike tour of six art galleries, occurring in site specific locations and visits to artists studios with lectures by artists along West Queen West, Ossington Avenue and Dundas St W. in Brockton Village. Riders discovered galleries that didn't know about, saw artworks of all kinds including glass, painting, fabric, and sculpture as we cycling back-alleys and side streets to each gallery. The event was held again in 2011 and plans in the works, for another tour in 2012 (Photo by Michael F. Paré, Gallery Night tour guide)

This is a Directory of International Queer Arts Festivals, not associated with or member of InterPride or Fierté Pride Canada. The listings are a work in progress, updating occasionally as new festivals are born.. There are now 21 festivals. New addition? Please write with full details and web link or Facebook link

There are plans underway to form an International Association of Queer Arts and Culture Festivals. Contact Michael Paré or Joel Klein president Vancouver Queer Arts Festival (jklein.pia@gmail.) for more information.

Compiled by Michael F. Paré,
ML.S - M.Phil © Copyright 2012
Updated Friday January 20, 2012
torontodigitalq@yahoo.ca

Queer Festivals around the world

Major Asian Queer Arts and Culture Festivals

Korea Queer Culture Festival In this country the lines are blurred between a queer culture festival and a Pride festival with rainbow flag parade, Interpride doesn't support this festival.. The 12th annual Korea Queer Culture Festival runs June 2 to 8, 2011. It's South Korea's largest-ever celebration of homosexuality. Although most Korean queers admit that South Korean attitudes about homosexuality have improved considerably over the past ten years, LGBT activists like Han Chae-yoon insist that fundamental challenges persist. "Ten years ago [LGBT Koreans] were afraid to express their sexual identities. Now, the community has grown, yet we still don't have our rights and we can't live our lives outside of the closet. These problems remain."

Nigah QueerFest in New Delhi, India, founded in 2007 as an attempt to create queer culture in the Indian capital, for and by queer people themselves. The festival has now grown to a full ten days arts festival, which features films, photography, talks workshops, performances and parties at several venues in the Indian capital. The festival is organized by Nigah, which is a queer collective that works on issues of gender and sexuality.

Premier European Queer Arts & Culture Festivals

aLAF - a Lesbian Arts Festival in Dublin, Ireland, celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer women’s artistry and creativity, from poetry to music, theatre to film making and visual art to the art of our own bodies. ALAF has been running annually since 2002. (On thin ice, now fundraising for 2011)

Aalborg Queer Festival- Aalborg Queer Festival in Denmark is a DIY (do-it-yourself) and non-profit event. It is a non-sexist and non-racist festival. It is about making a space for creativity and critical thoughts. (Last one held in 2009)

The Berlin Queer Festival - supports and promotes all the independent queer productions and every form of creativity (Last one held in 2007)

Copenhagen Queer festival - Now in its 6th year. The festival is strictly D.I.Y. meaning that YOU as a participant must take an active part in making the festival successful. A few things have been planned in advance by the organizing group, but otherwise it is up to the participants to decide in unity how they want the festival to proceed. It is expected that everyone help out as much as they can to ensure that the festival will be a fun and enlightening experience for all. Non-profit is another keyword for the festival. We wish to create a space which is not based on money, as we find this is the case in society today. The festival is open to all, whether or not they have money. Runs 25th- 31st of July, 2011

Gaywise LGBT Arts Festival -London's premier LGBT cross-arts festival, GFEST is a platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer artists, organisations and venues to promote LGBT and queer arts. Organised by arts charity Wise Thoughts, GFEST features established alongside fresh or young LGBT artists and queer talent across the arts, including visual arts, theatre, dance and performance, LGBT short films, debates, workshops and parties. GFEST takes place annually in November in various venues across London. Runs 7 to 20 November, 2011.

Glasgay! is Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture. The festival was founded in 1993 by Cordelia Ditton and Dominic D'Angelo. The festival's operating company GALA Scotland Ltd was incorporated in 1995. The Company operates from its new base at the Q! Gallery in Saltmarket, located in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City and a growing cultural quarter. First held in 1993, Glasgay! is now well and truly into its second decade and has expanded to 30 days in 2005 and is now the UK's largest multi-arts festival for LGBT people (and their friends), celebrating the talent and diversity of the Scottish LGBT community (and way beyond) the festival also provides a platform for aspiring artists. Running from October 15 to November 12, 2011

Homotopia - a festival that runs in various cities, featuring a variety of events including theatre, film, art, performance, photography, heritage and storytelling. Homotopia was launched in 2004. n January 2011 the festival was in Turku, Finland after a hugely successful opening weekend of the Tom Of Finland Retrospective which was a highlight of Turku, European Capital Of Culture 2011.

International Queer Culture Festival St. Petersburg, Russia. This is a non-commercial social and cultural project with the goal of promoting tolerance and values of diversity, introducing queer culture to the city, and attracting society’s attention to the problems of homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination. Our Festival unites artists and groups who are indifferent to the social problems of society. One important task of the Festival is to introduce Russian society to the social arts of the European countries and exchange experience between Russian and European social artists. The Festival creates a space where every visitor can learn and understand that freedom of expression, respect for differences and diversity of gender expression is the basis for a healthy and strong civil society.The organizer of the Festival is the St. Petersburg LGBT organization Coming Out (comingoutspb.ru ), with the financial support by the Swedish human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders (www.civilrightsdefenders.org). The 3rd International Queer Festival, will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia September, 2011.

Oslo Queer Festival, Oslo Norway -The queer festival is a yearly festival with focus on non-hetronormative activities. The festival is a DIY and non- profitable event. We make the festival together and offer free accomodation for everyone travelling to oslo queer fest, vegan and vegeration food for donations and lots of lots of fun and discussions! For more info, volounteering: please send mail to: oslo.queer@gmail.com .facebook.com/group.php?gid=2344042447 Oslo Queer Festival will this year happen 22-25 sept 2011!

OUTBURST Queer Arts Festival (Belfast Ireland) Outburst is an annual not-for-profit arts festival, celebrating the wide diversity of LGBT creative talent in Northern Ireland and beyond. The festival was established in 2006 by an informal group of LGBT activists, performers and writers, with the aim of providing a dedicated platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender performance, writing and storytelling. Our programme aims to celebrate and foster community and creativity, as well as showcasing exciting work from established international artistes and entertainers. OUTBURST became a Limited Company in 2010 and our Board consists of Arts professionals and practitioners, as well as LGBT community activists.In addition to our curated programming for 2011, we are seeking dynamic and engaging content that will inspire, challenge, delight and entertain our diverse festival audience. Arts Festival runs Nov.11th-19th 2011

Queer Up North - Queer Up North is Manchester's UK international queer festival. The first of its type in Europe, Queer Up North commissions, produces and presents a diverse, annual programme of live performance, art and ideas. Last festival held in 2010. Queer Up North office has closed while the organisation undergoes a process of restructure. There is currently only a skeletal team working for the company.

Queer Zagreb Festival - Listing is Facebook page. Queer Zagreb is an international festival which has been taking place in Croatia every May since 2003. It grew to be the biggest such event in Central and Eastern Europe. The Pride Zagreb Festival is one day event in late June, just a parade and a concert. It is very distinctive from the Queer Zagreb Festival . In the last two years QZF organizers have collaborated on many programs with Pride Zagreb Official web site in English and Serbian www.queerzagreb.org

Shout Queer Arts Festival (Birmingham, England) Now in its third year in 2011, SHOUT boasts of a wealth of activity, bringing internationally acclaimed artists to the city, providing local producers with a unique opportunity to be part of a number of exclusive projects. The varied programme utilises visual arts, film, theatre, music, performance, literature and community activities aimed to promote the diversity of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities whilst consolidating Birmingham’s developing role as an LGBT tourist destination. The festival runs annually in November. (4- 26 Nov 2011).

Premier North America Queer Arts & Culture Festivals

Canada

Divers/Cité (Montreal) is no doubt unique, but never-the-less just a music festival and asociated with InterPride. Pride Toronto calls itself everything under the sun, but is just a Pride Festival and nothing else.

Calgary Queer Arts & Culture Festival. Hosted by Fairy Tales Presentation Society and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre not-for-profit charity organizations. This was a completely new event showcasing of all the artists under the rainbow, working in diverse creative fields including but not limited to: visual artists, theatre artists, musicians, dancers, spoken word artists and writers of all genres. The founder of the new festival and co-founder of Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre.is 27 year old Mark Hopkins. The first annual festival was held in March 5, 2011 at the Arrata Opera Centre (1315 7th St SW) More information about festival here: www.fairytalesfilmfest.com/q-the-arts

Edmonton Exposure Arts & Culture Festival - The Exposure Festival in Edmonton Alberta uncovers, highlights and celebrates queer arts and culture. The festival exposes queer artists to new audiences, and exposes Edmonton audiences to new art. Exposure presents queer artists working in diverse media. By creating environments where artists can explore queer culture and take risks, the festival cultivates creative synergies, thought-provoking displays, social commentary, and new possibilities for inhabiting sexuality and gender. Exposure has been running since 2006. Theme - Queer Revolution will run October 20th – 23rd, 2011.

Queer City Cinema (Regina, Saskatchewan) Calls itself the largest and oldest ongoing queer arts festival between British Columbia and Ontario. This biennial festival was initiated in 1996, and saw its 8th installment in June 2010. A total of 77 artworks were exhibited, screened and performed at QCC 8, representing 97 artists from twelve countries. Runs in 2012 From January 19 to January 21 Upcoming festivals include Performing Out Festival 3 Media Arts Festival (June 6-9, 2012), and Audibly Out Festival 3 (January 30-February 2, 2013).

Toronto Festival of Queer Arts and Culture - Only 50% of the audience is defined as lesbian or gay. The festival is a celebration of diversity. Queer West Arts Festival celebrates and supports artists who create work on their own terms; in their own way… here they can make the work they’re burning to make. They can risk and they can play. The Queer West Toronto community is committed to ushering in a necessary and more contemporary attitude in reaction to the ever-changing threads of fiber that fashion the notion of “queer” in its entirety. The festival views the complexity of queer identity beyond set places, spaces and community settings and brings diversity to the forefront of all programming. The Arts Festival is creating awareness internationally, about the contributions of Queers to the art world and cultural life in Queer West Village, Toronto, Canada and beyond.. The Festival celebrated its tenth year in 2010. The Festival is paid for by private donations, community sponsorship and door sales. Tentative Dates in 2012: Thursday August 9 to Saturday August 18.

Trigger Festival - (Queer Arts Survivor-Centric Festival) A militantly unapologetic group of performers, facilitators, speakers, musicians and activists who transform, evoke and stimulate with outrageous interactive performances and workshops focused around community accountability and healing. Trigger rages with collective love and queer liberation. Trigger reclaims the notion of survival through art as activism and activism as art. Third annual Trigger Festival takes place on June 16th, 17th and 18th 2011 in Queer West Village, Toronto, Canada.

Queer Arts Festival (Vancouver BC) QAF is entirely independently operated, and is not a member of interpride. The mission of the Pride in Art Society, a not for profit organization, is to promote the production and exhibition of queer art. PiA creates opportunities for dialogue between queer artists from different disciplines, encourages visibility and appreciation of queer art and artists through the presentation of events, including the annual Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Festival celebrated it's 12th anniversary in 2010.

United States

United States National Queer Arts Festival - The National Queer Arts Festival (NQAF), now celebrating its 13th year in 2010. A month-long festival of music, dance, visual art, spoken word, poetry, comedy, theater, and film featuring over 400 artists in 70 events and over 100 performances in 27 venues throughout San Francisco. At the conclusion of this year’s festival, The Queer Cultural Center, the producer of The NQAF, will have showcased the work of nearly 3000 individual artists since its inception in 1998.. The 14
Annual National Queer Arts Festival runs June 1 – July 2, 2011

Gay Pride vs Queer Arts Festivals

How queer is Gay Pride? With its corporate sponsors and expensive after-parties, Prides across north America seem happy to forgo politics for pop – and stepping into the gap are proudly queer alternative festivals.Do either sides truly represent LGBT culture? Siobhan McGuirk (London England) and Michael F. Paré (Toronto Canada) ,investigates…Battle for Queer Culture in Toronto

Toronto Queer West Arts Centre is now on Facebook - JOIN US: facebook.com/Toronto-Queer-West-Arts-Centre

Queer West Arts Festival Guide 2012:

Queer West Arts Festival: About The Queer Arts Festival? | Arts Festival Official Events 2012 | Smash Words Poetry | Business Partners & Sponsors | Arts Festival 2011

Queer West Film Festival: About Film Festival | Film Festival 2010 | Film Festival 2011

Historical Archive: History Gay Festivals in Toronto 1964-2010 | History of Gay Toronto 1793-2008

Other Festivals: International Queer Arts Festivals | International Queer Film Festivals | Pride Festivals Canada & USA

TOP