WHOLE is a community-based, co-created event highlighting Berlin’s queer electronic music scene along with global collectives that establish secure havens for their communities, employing dance as a dynamic instrument for socio-political progress and acceptance in their respective nations. Through thoughtfully programmed workshops, panels, performances, artistic expressions, and musical interactions, the festival encourages a profound exploration of queer identity among its attendees.
Spanning six stages across Ferropolis, WHOLE provides a vibrant space for the community across its four days. From witnessing golden hour at the beach stage, dancing the night away in the colored forests, enjoying a wide range of music at the Crane Stage, immersing in the FLINTA space, or witnessing mornings unfold through uplifting house and techno at the Antenna stage outside a warehouse, or in the techno focused Arena stage surrounded by iron cranes.
This year, these stages will be hosted by 12 tight-knit Berlin collectives and 16 international collectives from the global scene, ranging from 10 countries like Vietnam, Spain, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Canada, Denmark, United Kingdom, Brazil, United States and The Netherlands.
Each year WHOLE invites new collectives to further build and expand on connections within the electronic music community. New this year are Hanoi’s “Equation Festival”, focussed on sounds from the Asian scene, London based techno-rave-come-performance art-platform “Inferno”, Brooklyn-based techno collective “Merge”, DJs Chippy Nonstop & Karim Olen Ash’s Toronto-based events centered around fluidity “Pep Rally”, “SWEAT” Copenhagen/Berlin’s dancefloor healing collective, Berlin’s “Kilowatt”, a black run electronic & techno club series focussing on representation of BIPOC artists, DJs THC, DHC & Byron Yeates newly found Berlin-based collective “La Noche” and Berlin’s “Weeeirdos”, a party series supporting queer artists founded by DJ LOLSNAKE.
Returning collectives this year are London’s iconic party “Adonis”, Brazil’s “Batekoo”, a steady force of energy within Brazil’s QBIPOC community, Berlin’s “Body Language” a femme-focussed party series for community building, Berlin’s long-standing house and techno party “Buttons”, Berlin’s steamy and electrifying party “Cocktail d’Amore”, Amsterdam’s hyper-pop, trance, techno and rave collective “De Reünie”, Berlin’s sex-positive party focussed on harder techno “Gegen”, “Herrensauna”, another harder-sound-focussed collective, Berlin’s feminist collective “Lecken”, Barcelona’s “MARICAS”, a FLINTA* queer techno loving party. One of Berlin’s favorite parties focussed on funky, sassy and old-school techno and house music “Mala Junta”, “Mamba Negra” Sao Paulo’s, female-run DJ collective and activist platform for women, black people and the LGBTQIA+ community, producers, and performers, Berlin’s multidisciplinary art, sex-positive and inclusive collective “Pornceptual”, Berlin’s LatinX Party “Puticlub”, Eris Drew & Octo Octa’s US-based collective and label “T4T Luv NRG”, Kyiv’s first-queer collective focussed on electronic music “Veselka”, and “Zvuk” the Kazakhstan-based collective run by DJ Nazira, transforming the central Asian scene.
WHOLE | United Queer Festival 2024 – Phase 1 Lineup
AGY3NA, Angel D’lite, Bashkka, Bored Lord, Boris, Byron Yeates, Cashu, Cem, Chippy Nonstop, DJ AYA, D.Dan, DJ Fuckoff, DJ Gigola, DJ Nobu, DJ Saliva, Eris Drew, Gideon, Hyperaktivist, ISAbella, JakoJako, Jennifer Cardini, Juliana Huxtable, Kiddy Smile, Lolsnake, LYDO, Lakuti, Mama Snake, Marie Montexier, Metaraph, Musclecars, Narciss, Nazira, Octo Octa, Pablo Bozzi, Peach, Roi Perez, Ruby Savage, S-candalo, Saoirse, Sherelle, Shy One, Slim Soledad, Supergloss, Suze Ijo, Tama Sumo, The Blessed Madonna and Volvox.
This year WHOLE introduces a new tier of community tickets, which are discounted tickets for queer community members on a tight budget. The solidarity program this year also sees expansion. The initiative provides a free festival experience to members from WHOLE’s community who are most affected by systemic & economic disparities. WHOLE makes space for refugees, POC & black people, trans & gender expansive individuals, people with a disability and those who experience fatphobia. Any potential visitor that faces economic barriers based on their identity or presentation is encouraged to apply.
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