Johannesburg – After raising the flag high in 2021, the Queertopia festival is set to make a return on December 10–11 at Victoria Yards with the desire to foster spaces that prioritise queer communities and collaboration.
The first iteration of this festival took place at Constitutional Hill last year with the support of the Jägermeister Night Embassy campaign.
In the first edition of Queertopia, the core concept was established, and this year the aim is to further build on the world of Queertopia.
Queertopia prioritises LGBTQIAP+ communities and welcomes allies.
Founded in 2016, Other Village People (OVP) assembles experiences and opens platforms for LGBTQIAP+ communities to feel liberated, live in the truest reflection of self, connect, celebrate, and find a space to be.
Jägermeister Night Embassy, in partnership with Other Village People, is made up of event producer and DJ Andiswa Dlamini (AN.D), as well as cultural worker and curator Kefiloe Siwisa.
“Queertopia is an immersive queer-centred festival that normalises and celebrates our differences.
“This fictitious new world order has its own forms of expression and communities that re-imagine the world we live in,” says OVP.
OVP also explains: “Using queer alongside utopia/dystopia draws on a sense of divergency and multiplicity.
“By combining these words, we recognise that even in 'chaos' there is beauty.”
Attendees can expect an experience where the LGBTQIAP+ community is prioritised and all allies are welcome.
Aside from the raising of the Queertopia flag designed by Wacom Boy, a concept store, screening room, conversation circles, and zen room, the progressive line-up will include DJs and live performances from Desire Marea, Ms Party back-to-back with Lelowhatsgood, Darkie Fiction, Muneyi, and Kekelingo, DJ LeSoul, Ukhoikhoi, Lilac Jeans, Mx Blouse, Mamthug, Thando Nje, Coco Brown, and many others.
“After a successful campaign that supported the first edition of Queertopia by OVP in 2021, Jägermeister Night Embassy is going deeper into this movement and continuing to fulfil their mission to support different cultures, communities, and creative voices,” says Mpumi from Jägermeister Night Embassy.
Queertopia 2022 is about building a future world with an overall aesthetic that will be influenced by futurism and the idea of liminality.
The flag will be raised again, says OVP, as it “was designed to connect to a sense of movement and constant transformation, one colour fading into the next. It is a representation of the limitless expression of what it means to be queer”.
Attendees will check in at the Queertopia welcome centre, where they will be (re)oriented and transported into the world of the festival.
The Queertopia party experience will be a celebration of music, dancing, self-expression, and communal connection through a line-up of exciting local live acts alongside heavy DJs to bring in the party.
There will be screenings of queer films and guided conversation circles that encourage attendees to share space and experiences, alongside a concept store with unique Queertopia merchandise and flash tattoos on offer.
On the second day, the Queertopia concert experience will include an experimental line-up of local live acts and DJs. This day will encourage deep listening, connection, and joy over food and music.
The screenings and guided conversation circles will continue, and attendees will also be able to take a moment in the zen room to breathe and just be.
These principles will be supported by Mindful, a youth-centred mental health organization, who will provide added care services to attendees to make the experience throughout the weekend safer and more enjoyable for all.
The Star