The Coast is Queer

The Coast is Queer returns to the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on 5 May 2027, bringing together authors, poets, performers, scriptwriters, activists, and agents for three days of LGBTQ+ literature. It's billed as the UK's biggest and brightest LGBTQ+ literature festival, and the first of its kind in the country. The festival is staged by New Writing South in partnership with Marlborough Productions, and it works with the Attenborough Centre, which is part of the University of Sussex.

Across the three days, the programme mixes conversations, panels, workshops, performance, and film. Spoken word, cabaret, and dancing run alongside a selection of short queer films curated by the BFI. The opening day has a local connection: students from the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton pick the contributors, so the start of the festival is shaped by the city's own students. It's a broad gathering that brings together writers and readers from across the South East and the rest of the UK.

Accessibility is at the heart of the festival's ethos, and that shows in how it's put together. There's a balance of free and low-cost events, and bursary places are available for the ticketed sessions, so you can build your own experience without spending a fortune. The whole thing runs from the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on Gardner Centre Road, Brighton, BN1 9RA.