The Powerhouse has transformed into the home of queer art, artists, allies, icons, comedians, dances and ideas until November 27 – with a mix of global headliners and local award winning performers.

Festival curator Daniel Evans said the 18 day LGBTQIA+ event is a playground of neon chapels, club nights, “pleasuredomes” and secret cinemas.

“Because it’s a celebration of queer art, I think the biggest thing is people go, “how is that different from a normal festival?”,” Evans said.

“This is art, but it’s queer, and so what you’re seeing here is stuff right at the edge, from our resident queer artists, from artists from the global stage alongside Brisbane’s, like a lot of Brisbane’s queer artists, and all of them are playing right at the forefront of a genre or a form, and that’s so exciting.

“I think, for audiences, this is the peculiar stuff, it’s bizarre stuff, it’s the stuff that you don’t really have words for yet, and that’s really cool to be part of that groundswell.

“It’s poles apart – I love the big stuff, the big, brashy stuff, and I love the more smaller, less bruising kind of work. There’s an altar for everyone in this kind of like church, which is nice.”

Evans said he’s proud of the mix in the program of fresh acts and emerging artists alongside established international names such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and New Orleans based icon Big Freedia, who recently featured on Beyonce’s Break My Soul single.

“There’s a real energy at the moment in Queensland, and in Brisbane, where everyone is ready to re-congregate, to reassemble, and I think that energy of everyone going, “We just want to dance, we just want to be in a sweaty state, feel something, we want to be down by the river in the sun in November”,’ Evans said.

“That energy is what we’ve programmed this year’s festival towards. I’m ready to completely cut sick and throw shapes on the dance floor.

“But I’m also really looking forward to more of the quiet stuff, like I’m really looking forward to Alone At Last, which is the Brendan McLean cabaret. And It’s Called Achilles, which is the Michael Smith dance work – he’s amazing choreographic talent.

“One of the biggest joys I’ve had as part of this role is working with Dylan Mooney, who’s a Queer First Nations visual artist, who is basically doing a building takeover with all his amazing artwork, and he is just the most kindest, most beautiful soul, and he’s about to take off.”

Shane Jenek – aka Courtney Act who rose to fame in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 – is the highly anticipated host of the new open air tent venue The Pleasuredome. He’ll be discussing his heartfelt memoir, Caught In The Act.

“Courtney is so charismatic, and she is kind of like form defining, and she had carved out drag in Australia in front of the nation when she was on Australian Idol back in the day,” Evans said.

“Now what’s beautiful about Shane, he is just as arresting and just as beautiful a person behind Courtney, so that’s going to be really special, I think.”

The Melt Comedy Gala also returns featuring queer comedy legends and fresh faces, hosted by Mel Buttle, while Queerstories continues to build on its success from previous years with a lineup of LGBTQIA+ storytellers including Benjamin Law.

Evans said the Melt Festival has evolved into a vitally important event for the local LGBTQI community.

“It’s going to be a real beautiful time,” he said. “If you know of any queer or LBGTIQA people in your life, what’s beautiful is there’s something for all ages as well. So it’s kind of like the things we’re really passionate about, in that we have the Elders Dance Club by All the Queen’s Men at one end of the spectrum.

“Then at the other, we’ve got this beautiful Revel in the Queer, which is being run by Backbone Youth Arts, so that’s an all ages gig.

“So from people who are 14, 15, all the way through to the more senior members of our community, there’s something really beautiful, I think, about seeing those ages alongside each other.”