Orlando Out Fest — the canceled Central Florida theater festival celebrating LGBTQ+ arts — has been revived on a smaller scale and with a new name: Q Fest.

The Center Orlando, which offers support services to the queer community, announced Friday it will present Q Fest Nov. 13-16 at its venue, 946 N. Mills Ave.

“It’s going to be a really great variety of queer artists,” said George Wallace, CEO of the The Center Orlando. “There are great, well-known artists and artists who have never performed before.”

This year would have seen the second Orlando Out Fest, which had been produced by Orlando Fringe. But Fringe leaders canceled the event, citing the organization’s financial concerns.

Wallace, a former executive director of Orlando Fringe, had been co-producing Out Fest with the organization and was disappointed in the decision to cancel. He was talking about the festival with some local queer artists, when they suggested he do something similar at The Center, which will create a 60-seat theater in its space.

This image is from Watermark’s “Greetings from Queertown.” The locally produced documentary looks at different aspects of the Central Florida LGBTQ community, including drag queens and transgender individuals. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

Q Fest will feature 13 stage shows — a mix of theater, cabaret and magic — and three films, Wallace said. The movies will be “A Day In the Life of Miss Sammy,” about the late drag performer Sam Singhaus; “Greetings from Queertown,” the documentary from Watermark newspaper about Central Florida’s queer history; and “Wanzie With a Z,” a filmed show from the Orlando Fringe Festival about the life of local writer-actor-producer Michael Wanzie.

The stage shows will feature a mix of familiar faces and newcomers, including a 12-year-old trans girl who will debut her cabaret, Wallace said.

Among those familiar to theatergoers: Natalie Doliner, who will perform a cabaret; the Blacklist Babes burlesque troupe; P. Sparkle, the outrageous alter ego of performer Rob Ward; illusionist Nick Comas of “Nick’s Parlor Tricks”; drag artist Addison Taylor; and Bruce Ryan Costella, who will present his “Spooky and Gayer” show.

Natalie Doliner will stage a show at Q Fest this November. (Courtesy Gontran Durocher via Natalie Doliner)

Q Fest has the blessing of Orlando Fringe, Wallace said. In fact, Orlando Fringe is providing lighting and sound equipment.

“At Fringe, we’re deeply proud of the way our community steps up to support artists when we can’t,” Orlando Fringe said in a statement. “It means so much to see George and The Center carry Q Fest forward after Oralndo Out Fest couldn’t take place this year. Their commitment reminds us why this community is so special.”

Wallace said he will be following the Fringe Festival model for Q Fest, which will open with a Fringe-style preview show.

A $3 button will be required to participate in the festival. Individual show tickets will range from $8 to $18, with most of that money going to the artists. A portion will raise funds for various scholarships, including the Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts, the Doug Ba’aser Memorial Fund, which supports drag and comic performers, and The Center Orlando’s own scholarship program.

Rob Ward will bring his P. Sparkle to the first Q Fest at The Center Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

Tickets will be available for purchase starting Sept. 12 at tinyurl.com/qfest25 or thecenterorlando.org/events.

“Q Fest is more than just a festival; it’s a vital platform for our community to see themselves reflected in art and to engage with the stories that matter to us,” wrote Wallace in the formal announcement. “In a time when LGBTQ+ voices are more important than ever, we are thrilled to create a space where artists can share their work freely and audiences can connect with it on a deeper level. This festival will be a true celebration of
our resilience, creativity and the power of storytelling.”

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Q Fest

What: New festival celebrating LGBTQ+ artists
Where: The Center Orlando, 942 Mills Ave. in Orlando
When: Nov. 13-16
Info: thecenterorlando.org/events

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/05/orlando-queer-theater-film-festival-qfest/