Manchester's house of drag, cabaret & club culture
Manchester's biggest celebration of drag, cabaret and club culture.
Big announcement · Saturday 15th · 6PM
Something is coming
Big announcement
Saturday 15th · 6PM
Doors close, lights drop, and the second half of Motherland gets its name. Set a reminder — it lands here and on Instagram at the same second.
What is Motherland?
A festival, not just a night out
One venue, multiple stages and a full day and night of drag, cabaret and club culture built in Manchester, for Manchester. Pageant queens, alt kings, live vocalists, dancers, hosts and DJs — local legends billed alongside names you already know.
Saturday 5 December, 6PM – 3AM, at AREA Manchester. And when the main stage ends? Big announcement, Saturday 15th at 6PM.
Who belongs here
You do. That's the whole answer
A queer space first — trans, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bi, ace and questioning people are the heart of this room — and everyone who respects that is welcome in it. Come in full drag or come in a hoodie. Come sober. Come alone and leave with people.
What doesn't belong: racism, transphobia, biphobia, ableism, fatphobia, groping and filming strangers. Our stewards will act on it.
What to expect
Eleven hours, one building
The main stage
Back-to-back sets from headliners and the Manchester scene, hosted end to end. Big numbers, live vocals, reveals.
Big announcement
Saturday 15th, 6PM. There's more to this night than the main stage — the rest gets its name then.
Between the sets
DJs across the night, photo moments, merch, and space to actually talk to people.
Looked after
Welfare stewards in pink, free water, accessible viewing and a cloakroom.
The line-up
All artistsOur mission
Perform with us
Every performer on this bill is paid, sound-checked and credited in the artwork — that is the baseline, not the perk. We book across the whole spectrum of drag: queens, kings, things, AFAB and trans performers, disabled artists and artists of colour.
Drag artists, cabaret acts, dancers, DJs and hosts — Motherland is built by the community it celebrates. Applications are open now.