Q-Lit 2026 program announced

Q-Lit has announced the program for this year’s festival, to be held in Naarm/Melbourne from 16 to 19 July, with the theme “queer nostalgia”.

The opening gala at Kensington Town Hall will “explore our moments of joy, reflection and desire”. The event will be hosted by Aurelia St Clair, with Alex Creece, Anna Piper Scott, Caroline Elisabeth Cull, Dennis Altman, John Bartlett, Orlando Silver and Yves Rees.

On 17 July, panels at Kensington Town Hall include “Queer Media” hosted by Amy Middleton, with Mon Schafter, Patrick Lenton and Dean Arcuri; “Unearthing the Sapphic Archive” hosted by Sita Sargeant, with Sylvia Martin and Danielle Scrimshaw; and “Researching Our Culture” hosted by Damien O’Meara, with Ebony Muller, Sam Stiegler, Geraldine Fela and Meghan Aponte, where “academics share insights into LGBTQIA+ storytelling, activism, and identity”.

At Mission to Seafarers on 18 July, the session “Main Character Energy” explores the entertainment industry; “Words & Wine” includes 5 queer storytellers paired with local wines; and “The Darkroom” provides an “adults-only showcase of the festival’s most explicit and provocative storytelling”.

At the Victorian Pride Centre on 19 July, a Queer Book Fair will showcase books from Hares and Hyenas bookshop, alongside individual writers’ stalls, while the festival’s final session – “Tittle Tattlers” hosted by Jono Butler, with Tobias Fulton, Scotty So, Sam Elkin and Stayci Taylor – will “channel scandalous and trailblazing figures from history”.

Category: Festivals Local news