After starting in Kitchener, Ontario, OutFest, the largest queer performing arts festival in Atlantic Canada, moved to Halifax in 2022 after Page1 Theatre’s artistic director Isaac Mulè relocated here. 2025 will mark the festival’s tenth year and fourth on the East Coast.
A lot of hard work has gone into this tenth year, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with everyone. – Isaac Mulè
Featuring local, regional, and national artists, completed works that have been on tour, to new and emerging creations, OutFest continues to provide a platform for queer artists to create and share their work.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished so far,” Mulè says in a media release. “We’ve been able to support a lot of different artists and projects over the years, some even coming back to OutFest as completed projects.”
One returning project is 76cms from Newfoundland’s Todos Productions, which first premiered at OutFest in 2023 as a staged reading. After a successful run in Newfoundland, the show returns to OutFest this year as a main-stage production. The play tells the story of Abe and Samson, a couple confined by bureaucracy and a blizzard during St. John’s historic 2020 “snowmageddon.”
The festival’s Emerging Stage also returns, spotlighting five fresh works from local and regional voices, continuing OutFest’s commitment to fostering the development of new Queer performance work in its earliest stages. Among them are Harsh Weather by Coral Maloney and Colleen Arcturus MacIsaac, Knockout by Unnatural Disaster Theatre Co., and Cat: A Musical by Cat McCluskey.
This year also marks the launch of the brand-new Open Stage, designed for artists creating works outside traditional theatre and dance forms. “We’re really focused on trying to support the entire development process,” Mulè says. “Sometimes theatre or dance can be very restrictive, so this stage is about giving artists the space to tell a story without barriers.”
Festivalgoers can enjoy live music at the closing night Music Stage, featuring Pillow Fite and Freya Milliken at The Carleton. Comedy lovers won’t want to miss the Comedy Stage, headlined by Clare Belford and a roster of local comedians, for a one-night-only performance at The Bus Stop Theatre.
OutFest has also partnered with the MacPhee Centre for Learning for a youth improv program. After a seven-week series of workshops led by Page1 Theatre, local youth will present a live improv show.
Beyond the stage, OutFest 2025 expands its community footprint with an opening night dinner and a Makers Market showcasing 30 local vendors offering jewellery, art, clothing, and more.
“There are so many exciting things happening this year,” Mulè said. “A lot of hard work has gone into this tenth year, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with everyone.”
OutFest 2025 takes place at venues around Halifax from April 21-27, 2025. For a full schedule of events and ticket information, visit pg1-theatre.com.