With the amazing weather the past few days, everyone’s just buzzing to get out of the house. If you’re not sure what to do once you step outside, fear not. Here’s a list of magical queer events happening in Ireland this May.
REBELLIOUS HOPE
May 3
Presented by Company Philip Connaughton in a new commission by Bealtaine Festival, REBELLIOUS HOPE is a short dance film exploring enduring artistic drive, growth and learning. It is a story told and performed by ageing professional dancers who are in a relentless pursuit of creative evolution.
The short will premiere at Project Arts Centre on May 3 and tickets to this queer event can be purchased here.
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Mother
Mother is at the heart of queer clubbing in Dublin, and the team has just released its lineup for April. Open in Lost Lane every Saturday night, thereāll also be a specialĀ bank holiday party on Sunday, May 4. With three rooms across the venue, expect to dance the night away with an array of different DJs, each bringing their own unique sound to the dancefloor.
Get your tickets here.
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The Roast of Panti Bliss
May 4
We couldn’t not mention our own show in this list of queers events taking place in May. GCN presents The Roast of Panti Bliss will see notable figures in the LGBTQ+ community and allies take to the stage to dish out hilarious, no-holds-barred roasts of the Queen of Ireland herself, all while raising vital funds to support the work GCN does for the community in Ireland and beyond.
Hosted by TV presenter and fashion designer Brendan Courtney, this first-of-its-kind fundraising event will take place at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 4.
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The Chaska Project – Queer Open Mic
May 4
Started as a new queer safe space in Dublin, the Queer Open Mic presented by The Chaska Project will raise funds for a randomly selected queer person who is seeking gender-affirming care. Tickets are donation-based, and you can get yours here.
Galway Theatre Festival
May 2 to 10
Running from May 2 to 10, the Galway Theatre Festival has plenty of queer events in store for this year’s programme. Here’s a list of the amazing LGBTQ+ productions you can expect at the festival:
- Carpet Muncher: A solo spoken word drag performance that honours queer resistance, this show is an intimate, frenzied call to celebrate the unknowable within us all.
- Pre-Ops: Become the fly on the wall of this intriguing show as you watch a transgender man and a cisgender woman in the confines of a shared hospital as they await hysterectomy surgery.
- Was I Not a Girl: This show follows Louis, a transgender man who meets a gender non-conforming doctor by the name of James Barry. The only problem? James Barry died in 1865.
- An Evening with Wee Daniel: Join Aoife for an absurdist autobiographical cabaret and a rapturous love letter to the rural queer non-binary experience.
- GTF After Hours Presents TABĆ: This show is a delectably tempting celebration of queer club culture in all its filth and glory, presented by a culture project that places FLINTA artists and audiences front and centre.
Get your tickets to the Galway Theatre Festival here.
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Shame Show
May 8
Created by Skelpie Limmer, this award-winning sketch comedy about gay shame, relo-gay-ting, and ’00s Saturday night TV will have you rolling with laughter. After sold-out runs at Dublin Fringe, Outburst Queer Arts Festival, and First Fortnight Festival, Shame Show is coming to the 25th Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast.
If you simply can’t wait for this show, buy your tickets here.
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Red Umbrella Film Festival Fundraiser
May 9
This May, join the Red Umbrella Film Festival for a night of DJs, drag and burlesque to fundraise in support of sex workers. All funds raised during the night will go towards the organisation of this year’s Red Umbrella Film Festival, coming to Ireland in October.
The fundraising event will take place in Monos Bar in Dalymount, Phibsborough, and tickets can be purchased here.
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Live Collision International Festival
May 8 to 10
Coming to Project Arts Centre for its 14th edition, this festival is a future-facing beacon for performance and interdisciplinary art. Among this year’s queer shows are:
- An Talamh Faoi Gheasa ā The Enchanted Land: Artist Pradeep Mahadeshwar will bring their speculative, queer lens to the festival with this hybrid live/film format exploring queer selfhood, mythology, and belonging.
- Last Gasp: a recalibration: Another cultural moment not to be missed will be brought by Split Britches, pioneers of queer performance since the late 1960s, who will take their part elegy, part protest showĀ to the Project Arts Centre.
- Queen of the Meadow: Presented by Robyn Byrne, this lush, cinematic work is rooted in folklore and refracted through post-internet aesthetics.
- Sunken Works: Created by artist Ghaliah Conroy, this is a richly layered excavation of memory, power, and the gaze upon the Black Irish female body.
- Oh ā Infamy ā we eat electric light: On a hallucinatory trip through the nighttime streets, we encounter otherworldly scenes of kink, justice, gender swapping, animism, and the troubling, unearthed through drag, dance, and text.
Find out more here.
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NI Mental Health Arts Festival
May 9 to 20
With a range of events for all ages, from talks, discussions, workshops, performances and more, this year’s NI Mental Health Arts Festival has something for everyone. Among the highlights of the 2025 programme are:
- Artist Market ā Queer Belfast x NIMHAF: In partnership with Queer Belfast, this market showcases talented artists.
- Zine Making Workshop: Led by artist Helen Gomez, this workshop will delve into the world of zine making.
- Black Box Open Mic: Featuring musicians, poets and comedians with regular host Jessie Fletcher, this monthly open mic night is one not to miss.
- Poetry Corner: Spend your lunch break celebrating the creative talents of published and emerging poets from across the Island of Ireland at this event.
- Drag Drink and Draw with Hester Ectomy: Bring your pencils, your best poses, and get ready for a night of sketching and fun.
- NIMHAF presents ORTHA: Prepare to dance, sway, or simply listen to the magical sounds of ORTHA and Ruby Valor at this beautiful evening.
Check out the full festival programme here.
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All That Glitters Burlesque & Cabaret
May 10
If you’re around Drogheda on May 10, you won’t want to miss this one. All That Glitters Burlesque & Cabaret is a vibrant new live show that blends burlesque, cabaret, circus, drag, pole, and comedy acts.
Not only a chance to enjoy a fabulous show, this event is also a fantastic opportunity to spotlight Drogheda as a growing cultural hub for the LGBTQ+ community. Tickets here.
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Quirk Market
May 11
Coming back to the Tara Building on May 11, the Quirk Market is ready to showcase the best of queer arts, crafts and vintage. Running from 12pm to 5pm, this market is sure to empty your pockets, but fill your heart.
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Out and Proud:āÆA Panel Discussion with UN SOGI Expert Graeme Reid
May 12
This free event, organised by the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, will feature a panel discussion with Graeme Reid, UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. He will be joined by academic, feminist and LGBTQ+ activist Ailbhe Smyth, Belong To CEO Moninne Griffith and co-organiser of Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin Jenny Maguire.
Hosted in Street 66, in Dublin, the discussion will examine the global increase in laws, policies and practices that restrict the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Reserve your free spot here.
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Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin Table Quiz
May 15
Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin are hosting a special table quiz on May 15 to raise vital funds for this year’s march. Mobilising upwards of 5,000 people every year, Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin is a significant event for the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland, and now more than eve,r they need our support.
Find out more and get your tickets here.
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The Girl’s Room: Feels Like Summer
May 16
A club for women and non-binary folks, The Girlās Room is making a comeback on May 16 at The Workman’s Cellar. This time, they will also have additional spaces to craft, play games and mingle for anyone who doesn’t feel like dancing.
The Girlās Room has a zero tolerance policy for all forms of harassment and discrimination, so keep that in mind when you buy your tickets here.
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Rainbow Run & High Heel Dash
May 17
Wicklow Pride has announced its highly anticipated Rainbow Run & High Heel Dash, set to take place at Shoreline Leisure Park in GreystonesĀ on May 17. Open to individuals of all ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds, the Rainbow Run is a vibrant display of inclusivity, solidarity, and celebration on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
This year’s novelty is the High Heel Dash, a daring and dazzling 40-meter sprint in high heels. Get your tickets for these fabulous queer events here happening in May. All proceeds from the event will directly support Wicklow Pride Festival 2025.
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Gauche Market
May 18
Running in Wigwam on May 18, this fabulous craft market will introduce all new crafters and also feature tarot reading, themed cocktails with the venue and a free book swap!
A free ticket can be used to get a free themed sticker at the market, so get yours here.
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Matthew Bourneās Swan Lake
May 20 to 24
Returning to the theatre for its 30th Anniversary Tour from May 20 to 24, Matthew Bourneās phenomenal queer Swan Lake is coming to this yearās Dublin Dance Festival.
Thrilling, bold, witty, and emotive, this genre-defining event is best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, defying all ballet traditions. Get your tickets here.
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just like honey
May 24
To celebrate Gay Health Network (GHN)ās 30th anniversary, the organisation is teaming up with Mother to throw a very special party on Saturday, May 24. Entitled just like honey, the night will feature queer club legends behind the decks, including Tonie Walsh, Aoife Nic Canna, Bull Horris, Gerry Moore, Rocky T. Delgado and Glamo.
Find out more and get your tickets here.
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Lovely Days Live
May 23 to 25
Guinness and the Guinness Storehouse announced the full lineup for Lovely Days Live at St. Jamesās Gate, three electric days of music, food and culture. The main headliner on Saturday, May 24, will be none other than Irish queer superstar CMAT, taking to the stage alongside Morgana and Irish trad supergroup BIIRD.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards The Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund, established to support vital resources that champion projects across education, sustainability and community enhancement initiatives. Find out more here.
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These are just some of the wonderful queer events happening across Ireland this May. If you think weāve missed one, get in touch at [email protected].
© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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