Head to Atomic Pavilion by Jamo on July 11 for WerQfest, an unforgettable night of dancing that blends liberation, art, and of course, partying. “We like to say that it is the biggest, Blackest festival this side of the Mississippi,” says festival co-founder and creative producer Shelton Boyd-Griffith.
WerQfest will celebrate its seventh anniversary this July with a lineup featuring pop-culture icon JT, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Onya Nurve, and genre-bending rapper Infinite Coles, along with a number of emerging Black and queer artists from St. Louis. Last year’s WerQfest saw roughly 400 guests, and this year is expected to be even bigger. The event is again sponsored by designer Brandon Blackwood, the City of St. Louis Department of Health, and sexual health telemedicine platform MISTR.
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WerQfest sees itself as a community vessel that uplifts Black queer, trans, and non-binary folks through art and community. By incorporating health initiatives, safe third spaces, parties, festivals, and art, its founders, Boyd-Griffith and Tre’von Griffith, hope to not only uplift Black St. Louisans through joy and celebration, but reimagine what is possible.
“For me, as someone who grew up in St. Louis as a young Black queer person, there weren’t a lot of spaces for us to exist. There was always a dedicated Black night or something, but there was never a space where I, as a Black queer person, could come and see people look like me, love like me, identify like me,” Boyd-Griffith says. “So I just love that young Black queer kids get to come and see this is possible and to be inspired to create their own spaces and their own communities and their own parties and initiatives. It’s a launchpad for the possibilities of community.”
According to Boyd-Griffith, WerQfest is meant to feel like a big family function where members can let loose and be in community with one another. The festival is expected to go until about 9 p.m.—but don’t worry, the party doesn’t stop there. The official “Afties” (afterparty) will be hosted by old-school dance collective “Let’s F*cking Dance” and will continue into the early hours of the morning.
WerQfest prides itself on promoting emerging Black queer talent just as much as celebrating its big-name headliners. “We love fostering emerging talent…we like to think of ourselves like an incubator.” Boyd-Griffith says. “It’s a combination of creating a platform for new emerging voices and then also creating a platform for national voices that don’t always get to headline festivals because of being marginalized.” Among this year’s lineup are St. Louis artists such as DJs Rico Steez, Maxa, Nyara and TreHitz, alongside performances from Lala Ahmir, Kristopher Lay, Meadow Grace, and K.Rush. There will even be a curated beat battle between Vanessa Frost’s Frosty Revue and DJ-in-residence DJ PBNJEFFY.
This year’s WerQfest will be a culmination of seven years of work. “I’m just excited for people to just get a taste of everything, and get a taste of what’s on offer,” Boyd-Griffith says. If you’re looking to dance to exceptional music and celebrate the city’s Black, queer, trans, and non-binary folks, this is the place to be on July 11.
