Annual arts and cultural festival, WerQfest honoring the black queer, trans and non-binary community returns to The Big Lot for year three on Saturday, July 9, 2022.
Husband duo, Tre’Von “Tre G” Griffith, singer-producer, and Shelton Boyd-Griffith, fashion, and beauty editor curated their first event in 2020 after feeling that there was a need for it because of the lack of representation for Black LGBTQ folx.
“We came up with the idea because with me being an artist I’ve always had a dream of creating a safe space to be myself and I wanted the same for queer artists,” Griffith told The St. Louis American last year in an interview about the fest.
“I wanted us to be able to express ourselves and literally just be.”
The inaugural WerQfest was virtual and included some of Tre G’s favorite artists. The Kranzberg Arts Foundation supplied the performance venues.
Griffith told The St. Louis Post Dispatch last year in an interview that the fest was well received and helped attract interest for the 2021 main event.
Since the first two fests were a success, the third year in the row is expected to generate a much bigger response. This year’s lineup includes drag star Maxi Glamour as hosts with national acts Julian King, Season 16 of The Voice, and Sevndeep, Season 1 of OutTV’s Hot Haus.
King, originally from Philadelphia, is excited to perform and visit St. Louis for the first time.
“It feels great to be part of the festival,” King said.
“Since I’m from Philly I didn’t know much about it until I was invited to come. I’m looking forward to bringing my soul and swag to St. Louis’ Big Top stage.”
King, who identifies as gay and prefers the pronouns he/him/his and “legend,” is happy about the platform WerQfest gives for all Black LGBTQ folx. He recalls when he was younger how those spaces were nonexistent.
“The more we create these paces the more spaces can exist and the easier it is to knock down the barriers in between our communities and shed light on the future generations to come,” King said.
King released his “Can We Go Back,” single earlier this year and said the crowd can expect to hear his new single, “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” inspired by George M. Johnson’s novel.
Local acts include headliner Bates & Strangers, Frankie DoWop, Eldraco + Free Nation, Noah Fence, and DJ Nico Marie. Jay-Marie is Holy, DDare Bionic, and A.M. Strings will appear in virtual satellite stage performances. Their performances will be live streamed at the festival and shared on Instagram as an homage to the festival’s original virtual format.
Bates, the frontrunner of Bates & Strangers, who identifies as a masculine presenting lesbian using the pronouns she/her/hers said the festival is necessary because not many who look like her are afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts.
“You don’t see many women who look like me who are open about their sexuality getting put on large platforms,” Bates said.
“Because with pride and most organizations you predominantly see white males at the top, it’s important we create our own spaces so that everyone can be included.”
Bates also said being a headliner is not only a win for her but also a feat for her band, who gives her music the life it deserves.
“This performance is one for the books, I’m coming with super high energy with The Strangers and I’m excited to break into this part of St. Louis’ music scene because I don’t perform enough for the LGBTQ community,” Bates said.
She said fans can expect to hear “Put It Out There,” from her latest studio release, “My Homies Is Dyin’” a mashup of Stevie Wonder’s “Pasttime Paradise and Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and more.
The Strangers include Klick Klack, Zo, Qui, Kemp, Volume Speaks, Madison, STNTN, Mz Tigga, DCR, and DJ Deeway.
The 2022 WerQ Awards for Arts Impact and Community Advocacy recognize two high-achieving individuals committed to civic engagement, innovation, and diligence in the Black community of St. Louis. This year’s recipients are Ohun Ashe, activist and creator, with the community advocacy honor, and Kristian Blackmon, culture leader and curator with the arts impact honor.
A special 2022 merch capsule collection with limited edition shirts, hats, bags, outerwear and more in collaboration with Profield Reserve will be unveiled Friday, July 8. A portion of the proceeds received from sales will be donated to Trans Housing Initiative in St. Louis (THISTL), a trans-led social justice organization created to fight the injustices of housing for trans folx in St. Louis, and The Trevor Project, a national suicide and crisis organization for LGBTQ folx.
“Tre and I are really excited to see how this vision that we had in the middle of the pandemic continues to scale and grow,” Boyd-Griffith said. “The festival is getting huge and this year is the stepping stone for it to be on the same level as Afropunk or Lollapalooza. We’re working to scope what that looks like for a major Black queer fest in the industry.”
Visit www.werqfest.com for tickets and more information about this year’s festival.
