Calling all witches! Folx across Cincinnati come together for another round of empowerment, enlightenment, and groundbreaking collaboration. This year they are asking you dive deep into your most powerful self – your inner witch. Suppressed and stigmatized for far too long we posit that a radical witch lives within us all, waiting to challenge society's norms and preconceived notions. Ladyfest will be brewing an entirely new batch of inspiration by showcasing women from all across the Northeast and Midwest.
The multi-venue festival, running from October 13 through October 14, will include music, art, performance, and workshops with a lens on inclusion, intersectionality, and empowerment. The festival seeks to encourage, support, inspire, and highlight the music and art made by women of Cincinnati's independent scene, as well as showcase influential and inspiring national musicians and artists, both emerging and established.
Genre representation will be diverse and include punk/garage, indie rock, singer/songwriter, hip hop, and classical. See these acts sprinkled around Cincinnati's most inclusive neighborhood at Northside venues such as: The Comet, The Listing Loon, Northside Yacht Club, Chase Public, Anytime Dept. Sidewinder, and Chicken Lays An Egg.
“When thinking about doing the festival for another year, the answer wasn’t as clear as one might expect. On one hand, there’s always a need for supporting feminist causes and at the same time there are so many groups happening right now that are doing incredible work, so it begs the question: is a ladyfest still necessary” says Rachelle Caplan, Director of Ladyfest Cincinnati. “Yet when I look around at the world we are living in this post-election, post-truth era, the idea of taking away a platform for the voices of oppressed individuals seemed like a step in the wrong direction. The answer isn’t taking anything away, it’s holding more space for those in our communities that need to be heard the most”.
As always, Ladyfest Cincinnati will be entirely free and open to the public, with the aim of creating more opportunities for inclusion across gender, race, and class. Support will be encouraged via merchandise sales and donations.
Ladyfest Cincinnati fosters empowerment and insight through educational workshops, enlightening visual art, and interactive public performance events focusing on topics related to intersectional feminism, gender and racial equality, and activism in art and music. The festival’s educational and skill-building workshops, visual and performance art, music, and poetry will be created and led by women and gender non-conforming persons.
Musicians performing include: Aziza Love, Biitchseat, Blossom Hall, Breaking Glass, Counterfeit Madison (Columbus), Crystal Gravy (Dekalb, IL), Daisys (Detroit), Day & Age (Knoxville), Dream Tiger, Electric Citizen, Emily Blue (Chicago), Freedom Nicole Moore, GRLwood (Louisville) , Holy Golden (NYC), Kate Wakefield, Lady Bizness (NYC), MUSE Woman's Choir, Marjorie Lee, Molly Sullivan, Oginalii (Nashville), Paradise Kittens, Pisswater Preachers, Punch Drunk Tagalongs (Cleveland), Queer Kevin (Columbus), Rae Solei, Removers (Buffalo), Siri Imani, Slow Glows, Soften, So Pretty (Chicago), Social Divorce (Buffalo), Spandrels (Indianapolis), Style$tar(Athens, OH), Sweet lil, The Free Bleeders (Detroit), Tina Panic Noise (Buffalo), W.O.M.B (Detroit), Whisper Trax (Indianapolis), Wife Patrol (Indianapolis), Wonky Tonk
