MQ Pride Night
MQ Pride Night
Since 2023, MQ Summer Stage
Commissioned by MuseumsQuartier Vienna to curate a performance evening during Pride Month for the Summer Stage in the Main Courtyard. Since 2023, the event has become an annual celebration of Vienna queer performance and music scene. The show is produced and sponsored by Museums-Quartier.
The evening is curated specifically to highlight and uplift queer performing artists, including dancers, musicians, drag performers, DJs and other entertrainers. In the spotlight are trans* artists and artists of color under the motto of (literally) taking up space, particularly for those who are most marginalized in mainstream society.
The free and public event attracted approximately 500 guests and had a running time of 3 hours.
Concept: Verena Kaspar-Eisert and Daniel Hill
Curation and moderation: Daniel Hill
Participating artists have included: Denise Palmieri, Athene Atlas, Lady Nutjob, Madame Léa, Oluchukwu, Faris Cuchi, Evandro Pedroni & Mzamo Nondlwana, Danielle Pamp, Bicha Boo Collective, Rumi von Baires, Kiki House of Dive, Haus of Rausch, Bro Homo, among others.
Documentation: MQ Wien (Simon Veres/Martin Steiger/Niko Havranek)
The line-up of performances was diverse in order to showcase a plurality of artistic approaches.
The 2023 edition, “Take Up Space!”, included an operetta story by Danielle Pamp, a vocal evocation of Ethiopian ancestrial linage by Faris Cuchi, drag performances by the group Haus of Rausch, and vogue performances by Kiki House of Dive. This was followed by DJ set by Bicha Boo Collective, an audio-visual, performative and festive collective.
The 2024 edition, “Celebrate Queer Creativity"!”, included solo performances by two well-known singers, Athene Atlas and Oluchukwu Akusinanwa. The queer performance artists and dancers Evandro Pedroni and Mzamo Nondlwana appear as ‘The Influenzers’ in an exaggerated performance to reflect on social media phenomena in the world of superficiality and filters. Drag performer Lady Nutjob presented drag performances by Madame Léa, Haus of Rausch and BroHomo. The evening ended with a one-hour DJ set by Rumi von Baires.
The 2025 edition, “Stand Up!”, included solo performances by opera singer Henry Blue and comedic drag queen Fräulein Bürgerschreck singing updated classical showtunes. Drag performers Madam Léa and DaDa JV combined fashion, dance and drag in a dazzling performance of carisma, percision and flair. The momentum continued with When Drama Knocks the Door — a collaborative performance by Helena Araújo, Mzamo Nondlwana and Pêdra Costa that blurred the lines between performance, ritual and resistance in an embodied act of solidarity. The night culminated in a genre-bending DJ-set by মm., a Vienna-based Bengali artist whose sound collages fuse experimental club, diasporic beats and political storytelling. The evening was co-hosted with Jupiter Rhae Braun.