Manchester’s flagship LGBTQ+ arts festival will return to the city-region next year for a ‘bigger, brighter and bolder’ celebration of queer talent.
For two weeks in February, Queer Contact will feature a wide variety of events and entertainment celebrating the country’s most extraordinary and exciting LGBTQ+ performers, including actors, cabaret acts, drag stars, and comedians.
The festival, which will coincide with Contact theatre’s ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations, will feature RuPaul’s Drag Race UK stars Ginny Lemon and Sister Sister, Heartstopper and Cucumber actor Fisayo Akinade, and the much-loved annual House of Suarez Vogue Ball.
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The ball, which will see vogue houses from all across the UK compete for titles including best choreography and best design, will start the festival off in extraordinary fashion on February 4 at Manchester Academy. The event will be MCed by Rikki Beadle-Blair.
The Cocoa Butter Club, a ‘spirited soiree’ celebrating performers of colour, will host an evening of burlesque, music, drag, voguing and hula hooping (!!) on February 9 at Contact. On February 10, the Gallifrey Cabaret will pay homage to Doctor Who with a variety of ‘cosmic drag and cabaret’.
The Bitten Peach, a celebration of South Asian performers, will take audiences on board Peach Chutney Air on February 11 for an evening of in-flight entertainment and mayhem.
Heartstopper and Cucumber actor Fisayo Akinade will explore the influences on his life and career in conversation with Contact Artistic Director and CEO Keisha Thompson on February 12. Fisayo, who is a past member of Contact Young Company, has gone on to have a flourishing TV and theatre career, with roles on the small screen including Banana and Tofu, Atlanta, Fresh Meat, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Milly-Liu will host a ‘one-man-cat-drag-late-night comedy show’ on February 16 following an award-winning run at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with iconic drag comedian Lady Bushra hosting her stand-up comedy show ‘Robbed’ on February 17.
Ginny Lemon and Sister Sister will make their Queer Contact debut by closing out the festival with their You Keep Me Hanging On tour. Taking place on February 18, the pair promises to deliver ‘the most disappointing drag show you’ve ever seen’.
“We’re so excited to be bringing the best in LGBTQ+ arts and culture together once again for Queer Contact 2023,” Keisha Thompson, CEO and Artistic Director, said.
“Our flagship queer arts festival has been central to our mission and vision for over a decade and will continue to cement our spot on Manchester’s cultural map for many more decades to come. In 2023, as we celebrate our 50th birthday, Queer Contact is characterised by joy; from a Dr Who-themed cabaret to an evening with Heartstopper’s Fisayo Akinade, we’re here to platform a huge spectrum of queer lived experience; focusing on kindness, community and celebration.”
Queer Contact runs from February 4-18. Tickets are now on sale. Full listings and information here.
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