With workshops on female orgasms to events like Not Your Grandma’s Craft Sale, this year’s Ladyfest offered a little something for everyone.
From Sep 20 to 23, women expressed themselves and shared ideas through music, performance, film and video, exhibitions and workshops. Now in its sixth year, the festival remains volunteer-driven.
Over 1,000 attended the event, filling Jack Purcell centre with giddy empowerment. Engy Sedki, one of the Ladyfest organizers, had this to say about the event:
“This year’s festival was a great success. We had a diverse and enthusiastic crowd at all our events, from our rock show to our workshops. My highlight was the fact that we continued to reach out to new audiences. It’s always great to see new people be a part of Ladyfest… especially if they can be exposed to and enjoy female talent!”
The first Ladyfest took place in Olympia, Washington in 2000. This event inspired women around the world, from New York City to Berlin to Indonesia, to organize their own festivals.
Capital Xtra reporter, Lara Purvis followed the Ladyfest activities, chatting with some particularly interesting participants. Featured in the video are exclusive musician interviews with Toronto lezzie rockers Katie Stelmanis and Montreal ladies Kickers. Also included is Ottawa queer activist, Caitlyn Pascal, who took a few moments to discuss her workshop on sexual identity.
Video by Lara Purvis.
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