At the 'City of Iron' in Ferropolis, the international LGBTQI+ community came together at the height of summer for three days of radical celebration during WHOLE Festival.
One of the festival’s defining features is that it’s curated by Berlin-based queer collectives -including Herrensauna, Lecken, Puti Club, Emergent Bass, and Lunchbox Candy.
In addition, 15 queer collectives from around the world were invited to join, including Sirän from Istanbul, Batekoo from Brazil, Waifu from Tokyo, and Seafood from Chengdu. While the festival’s heartbeat is still rooted in techno, these global guests brought a broader range of sound: bass music, funk, and reggaeton on the Crane Stage, and more experimental club energy over on the Antenna Stage.
Also worth noting is the festival’s unique approach to booking. Instead of selecting individual acts, the organizers invite party collectives - who then curate their own lineups of DJs and performers.
Each year WHOLE invites new collectives to further build and expand on connections within the electronic music community. Held in Ferropolis, the festival has been rapidly expanding in size and reputation since it began in 2017. Initially conceived by Berlin’s international queer party collectives, it was created with a guiding principle of quality sound and a recognition of the need for a festival created by and for the queer community – a place to unite, learn, celebrate and dance.
Photos: Joel Palmer
