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This February, Queer Contact Festival returns to Contact in Manchester, filling its Oxford Road home with two weeks of queer performance, art and collective energy. Running across a packed and generous programme, the festival brings theatre, cabaret, live art, film, line-dancing, market stalls and more under one roof - a meeting place for queer artists, audiences and stories in all their difference and complexity.
Accessibility sits at the heart of Queer Contact. With many tickets starting from just £3, and a number of events completely free, the festival continues its commitment to keeping boundary-pushing queer work open and reachable - not rarefied, not exclusive, but shared.
Across the fortnight, audiences can move between intimate autobiographical theatre and riotous cabaret, stand-up comedy and immersive installation, alongside a bustling queer art market. Together, the programme reflects the breadth, brilliance and multiplicity of contemporary queer creativity - joyful, political, messy, reflective and alive.
The full programme and tickets are available HERE
Main Character Energy (Thu 12 – Fri 13 Feb)
A beautiful and supremely talented Black actress takes centre stage in an autobiographical one-woman show about finally occupying the space she has so often been denied. Sharp, self-aware and magnetic, this is theatre that insists on visibility without apology. Tickets from £10.
You’re Not Getting Any Younger (Sat 14 Feb)
On Valentine’s Day, Chanukah Lewinsky hosts a cabaret night for single people, their allies, and anyone navigating love, lust and anxious bisexual window shopping. Bold, chaotic and hilariously honest. Tickets from £5.
Social Experiment – Queer Contact Edition (Thu 19 Feb)
A free, informal evening for artists and audiences curious about live art and contemporary performance. A space to meet, share and try out ideas, featuring work from queer artists. Free to attend.
Comedy at Queer Contact (Fri 20 Feb)
A night of stand-up comedy curated and hosted by Ben Hodge, bringing together a stellar line-up of queer comics. Tickets from £5.
Less Like Ourselves, More Like Each Other (Sat 21 Feb)
Artist and filmmaker Graham Clayton-Chance presents work rooted in queer country and western dance culture in San Francisco, including his multi-award-winning film Last Dance at the Sundance Stompede alongside a new immersive installation. Tickets from £3, with some elements free.
Manchester Queer Art Market (Sat 21 Feb, 13:00–17:30)
Manchester’s premier monthly market for queer artists and makers comes to Contact for the first time, offering an afternoon of art, craft and community. Free to attend.
A Northern Tr*nny Hootenanny (Sat 21 Feb)
Trans artist Hunter King shares his gender journey through an uplifting queer parody musical set in the Wild, Wild North West. Joyful, bold and unapologetically camp. Tickets from £10.
Beyond the performances themselves, Queer Contact is a festival built around connection - creating space to dance, talk, browse independent queer makers, and discover new favourite artists together.
Jack, CEO of Contact, reflects: “Queer Contact is a vital moment in our year - a celebration of queer artists telling their stories in their own voices, and audiences coming together in joy, solidarity and creativity. From first-time visitors to long-time supporters, we want everyone to feel welcome in our building. With affordable tickets and free events across the programme, Queer Contact is about access, visibility and unforgettable live experiences.”
