The Westend Theatre and Arts Festival (WTAF!?) is coming to Galway from July 20 to 29, promising a lineup of 30 shows encompassing a variety of music, drag, film, theatre and visual art. Tickets can now be purchased on the WTAF?! official website.
The independent fringe festival is a hotspot for emerging creatives. Co-directors Emily and Jess describe it as “made for artists who don’t quite fit the pre-described boxes that so often appear in ‘the arts’. It’s for those that are emerging, different, innovative and frankly, stubborn.”
This year’s schedule is stacked with productions by LGBTQ+ voices, and here are just some to look forward to!
Mother Bunker!
Rock Bottom Saloon is presenting Mother Bunker!, a new post-apocalyptic dark comedy. The 60-minute show is about nostalgia, performance, codependency and the end of days.
Catch it from July 20 to 24, at the Massimo Bar’s Soul Garden. Tickets here.
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Part(s) (W)hole
From small-town rural Ireland to New Zealand and back again, three friends get together to tell a story about queer childhood, family, shame, sexuality and joy. They look at memory, the feeling of remembering, and what it means to put the past back together
The show is a genre-bending choreopoem from dancer Al Cunningham, musician Amelian Donegan and writer Emer Lyons, layering media in a celebration of queerness. Catch it on July 21 and July 22 at the Massimo Bar. Tickets here.
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The Buss Stop
Turned down by RTÉ One, Virgin Media, RTÉ Two, BBC One, BBC Two and RTÉ Junior, the incredibly niche local celeb Minnie Buss (EVER HEARD OF HER, HONEY?) decided that WTAF!? is the best platform for her groundbreaking chat show. And as always, she is dead right.
You can expect drag performances, interviews, special guests, Minnie Games and more in this cabaret, talk show, manic episode. So be a part of history, put on your seatbelts, gird your loins, and get ready for a spectacular night. In the words of the wise Minnie Buss, “Beep Beep, see you there”. Catch it on July 23 at Massimo Bar. Tickets here.
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Squeeze
Squeeze is a celebration of queerness. The collective focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere and offers an alternative to mainstream club culture. Squeeze is coming to WTAF!? 2026 and they’re pulling out the big guns.
Galway’s fiercest drag queens Maria Tonka and Minnie Buss will be serving looks, laughs and absolute chaos to kick the night off! Then residents Menace and Sleepyhead keep the tunes spinning before KSFM lights up the dance floor with genre-blending selections guaranteed to keep your booty shaking. Catch it on July 24 at Áras Na Ngael. Tickets here.
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The Northside Raven
Riley wakes up one day with two black wings sprouting from their back. No explanation OR warning… Just mockery and judgement from everyone around them, and one question they can’t quite shake: is it better to deny who you are for the sake of everyone else?
The Northside Raven is an immersive piece telling the story of Riley’s broken relationships, first loves, a longing for acceptance, and the rigorous journey of transforming self-loathing into unapologetic self-love. Written by Ashley Behrend and directed by Robin King, this piece from Precipice Theatre Collective is going to hit different! Catch it from July 21 to July 23 at Silent Cinema, Dominic Street. Tickets here.
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Downriver
A person lies submerged in a cold river, fully dressed in a suit, just letting the water take over. A resin cast of the artist’s head glows softly in the corner. And a fallen tree floats in the space, a poem carved into its branch.
Downriver is an installation from multidisciplinary artist Robin Quinn, weaving film, sound and sculpture into a meditation on gender identity, the transience of nature and what it means to feel at home in yourself. Catch it from July 22 to July 25 at Áras na nGael. Tickets here.
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See more of what the Westend Theatre and Arts Festival has to offer in their full programme. And for more LGBTQ+ theatre, check out the queer highlights at the Dublin Fringe Festival!
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