The capital will once again host a concentrated celebration of queer women and gender-diverse nightlife when Lezzer Fest stages its second edition. Born from the long-running Gal Pals dance parties, this festival compresses the spirit of late-night queer spaces into a single daytime event that centres community, music and performance. Organisers Scarlett Shaney (she/her) and Xandice Armah (he/they) have grown Gal Pals over more than a decade into a crucial meeting place for lesbians, sapphics and trans+ attendees; last year they turned that momentum into a standalone festival that gathered around 1600 people.
What Lezzer Fest is and why it matters
Lezzer Fest is a focused, one-day festival showcasing queer women, lesbian and dyke culture through club nights, collective showcases and live sets. It functions as both a party and a cultural statement: bringing together established nights and newer projects to create an inclusive, visible space. The event emphasises solidarity across lines of identity and practice, and highlights collectives that foreground FLINTA communities as well as marginalised voices within the queer scene. By packaging multiple nights and sound systems across stages, organisers aim to recreate the electric, cross-generational energy of club life in a safer, daytime setting.
Lineup highlights to watch
The festival programme assembles a mixture of long-running institutions and rising crews. Expect a 90-minute pole showcase from Blackstage, a Black queer, sex worker-led nonprofit; that set is led by Leila Davis (she/her), known as Cutie Whippingham, and intends to foreground performers often sidelined in mainstream LGBTQIA+ nightlife. From the DJ world, the duo Dykes On Decks (Alex Berry and Lebby, both she/her) will bring their signature blend of euphoric queer anthems and nostalgia. Also appearing are BUMPAH, a QTIPOC-centred rave collective from London focused on resistance and community building through underground sounds.
Club nights and collectives
Other names on the bill span club culture and intergenerational sound systems. Soft Butch, created by Lexx (they/them) and originating in Bristol, contributes a blend of dancefloor-ready tracks with a politics of joy and resilience. Legendary Black lesbian-led system Sistermatic Sound, carried forward by DJ Eddie (DJ Shineye, she/her), reconnects attendees with decades of community-driven nightlife. STRAPPED, self-described as East London’s ‘sluttiest dyke party’, returns via founder Becca Homer (she/her) with a feral, freewheeling set that celebrates messy queer freedom.
Regional voices and duos
Pillow Princess, curated by Stripped Sets and represented here by DJ L U (she/her) from Norwich, promises a welcoming space to dance, flirt and experiment with presentation. Brighton-based duo Wildblood (they/them) and Queenie (she/her) will offer a soundtrack intended to honour earlier generations of lesbians while pushing the scene forward. Each act arrives with its own history and community, creating a programme designed to showcase both continuity and new directions in dyke nightlife.
Practical details and how to join
Lezzer Fest volume II takes place on 25 April 2026 at the Vauxhall Food & Beer Garden. Tickets and additional event information are available via the Gal Pals website at galpals.club and through ticketing outlets DICE and RA. Attendees should expect multiple stages of music, performance showcases and spaces intended for socialising and connection. The organisers advise checking line-up updates and accessibility information in advance, as well as arriving early to make the most of the day-long programming.
Supporting queer media and community
This festival sits within a wider scene that publications such as DIVA have amplified for decades. DIVA has documented and supported LGBTQIA+ women and gender-diverse creators for over thirty years and now operates as a charity, the DIVA Charitable Trust, focused on sustaining media made by and for these communities. For readers who want to back queer journalism and cultural projects, links on the magazine’s platforms explain how to offer support and why funding independent queer media matters to the longevity of events like Lezzer Fest.