Current Activities with the LGBTIQ+ Community

The Outing Queer Arts Collective & Winter Pride Festival

The Outing Queer Arts Collective & Winter Pride Festival continues to serve as a dynamic cultural force, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices, celebrating queer creativity, and creating meaningful spaces for connection, inclusion, and celebration. Its year-round programming reflects a commitment to visibility, diversity, and cultural engagement—especially in rural and regional Ireland.

1. Year-Round LGBTQ+ Cultural Events

  • The Outing Festival (Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare): An annual celebration of queer matchmaking and Irish culture, blending céilí, drag, live music, comedy, and performance. It draws participants from across Ireland and internationally, making rural Clare a beacon of LGBTQ+ celebration.

  • Winter Pride Festival (Limerick & Clare): A seasonal event offering a warm, inclusive alternative to summer Prides. Winter Pride features queer theatre, drag showcases, film screenings, panels, and storytelling in cosy, welcoming venues.

  • Pop-Up Queer Arts Events: Regular performances, cabaret nights, DJ sets, exhibitions, and spoken word events in local pubs, theatres, and community spaces—bringing queer culture to unexpected and accessible places.

2. National and Festival Participation

  • Active inclusion in major cultural festivals across Ireland:

    • Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival – showcasing LGBTQ+ performers and visibility on a national stage.

    • Dublin by Night Festival – programming queer nightlife and alternative performance.

    • Rose of Tralee – curating LGBTQ+ presence at a traditionally conservative cultural institution.

    • Regional Pride Collaborations – with Galway, Limerick, Clare, and Dublin LGBTQ+ Prides.

3. Queer Market & Craft Fair

  • Hosts the Queer Market as part of festival weekends, featuring LGBTQ+ artists, crafters, small businesses, and makers from across Ireland.

  • Promotes economic empowerment and visibility for queer-owned creative enterprises.

4. Community Support, Access & Inclusion

  • Ensures events are low-cost or free where possible to promote access.

  • Offers safe, inclusive spaces for queer people of all backgrounds—especially youth, older LGBTQ+ individuals, migrants, and those from rural areas.

  • Supports local visibility campaigns and collaborations with mental health and wellbeing organisations.

5. Artistic Development & Representation

  • Provides platforms for emerging LGBTQ+ performers, writers, musicians, and creatives to debut work and gain experience.

  • Hosts panels and workshops on queer storytelling, drag as performance art, intersectionality, and Irish LGBTQ+ history.

6. Partnership & Outreach

  • Collaborates with:

    • Limerick LGBTQ+ Pride, QuareClare Pride, GOSHH, and Clare Youth Services.

    • Arts and cultural institutions across Ireland to increase queer visibility in mainstream programming.

    • Human rights organisations and educators to embed activism and advocacy within the arts.