Liverpool’s Homotopia Festival to make a ‘loud and bold’ return

Liverpool’s long-running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival returns this November, after taking a pause last year.

Organisers have promised the loudest and boldest events yet, with a powerful theme of ‘Uprising’ – symbolising resistance and defiance.

The 21^st Edition of Homotopia takes place across a variety of local venues, including the Museum of Liverpool, Unity Theatre, FACT, and St George’s Hall, and over 70% of the events will be free to attend.

The festival last graced the city is 2023, after taking a brief hiatus; the break allowed the organisation to focus on artist development, the long-term sustainability of Homotopia, and creating a more impactful event.

Homotopia’s comeback commences with a special launch party to embody the ‘Uprising’ theme, on Saturday 1^st November. Unity Theatre will host an evening of immersive performances and art, as artists and muralists collaborate to showcase defiance and solidarity in the surge of fascism.

Homotopia festival producer, Natalie Lloyd says: “It’s about finding power in the small and every day and turning it into something unstoppable, about doing it yourself when no one else will and refusing to shrink, refusing to wait for permission and refusing to apologise.”

Highlights of the month-long programme include:

• ‘Drag Down the Borders’, at District in the Baltic Quarter, on November 9. A night of full of queer joy, combining drag, burlesque and cabaret. This powerful evening aims raising funds for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Liverpool, Palestine, Sudan and Congo.

  

• ‘No Pride in Genocide Film Screening’, at District in the Baltic Quarter, on November 10^th. A free and impactful event showcasing a selection of short films by filmmakers who refused to show their work in the Israeli government-sponsored LGBTQ Film Festival. Screenings explore themes of identity, displacement, violence, and survival.
• ‘Scrambled’ at Liverpool Playhouse, on November 13^th. An intimate one-person show by award-winning performer Grace Tompkins. The debut show explores Grace’s own experiences of online radicalisation, drawing on years of work in the local community. First envisioned as part of the Anti-Fascist Cabaret at Homotopia 2023, ‘Scrambled’ has

  

  developed to a joyful, yet unsettling performance about online extremism.

Rooted in Liverpool since 2004, Homotopia has been a hugely celebrated calendar event for locals. The comeback of this huge event is highly anticipated.

“This year the festival is hyper local and proudly Scouse,” says Natalie Lloyd, reflecting a transformed focus on local voices and the city’s queer spirit.

From performances to protests, the festival provides a vital platform for queer voices, encouraging inclusivity, discussions and visibility through the arts.

Homotopia holds a unique place in Liverpool’s community, and its return signals more than just a packed programme of new events – it’s a powerful celebration of queer joy, resistance, and uprising.

The full events programme and ticket information is available at Festival – homotopia.