Orlando Out Fest, a theater festival dedicated to recognizing queer artists in Central Florida put on by Orlando Fringe, will not return this year, the organization announced this week.
Fringe’s inaugural Out Fest debuted September 2024. It comprised three days of shows that celebrated queer stories, history and artists.
“Unfortunately this year, we have carefully considered all possibilities of producing this event, but the truth is we are still trying to build a Fringe that we can sustain for the long haul,” Orlando Out Fest said in a statement on social media Wednesday evening. “For us that means being honest about what we can take on right now and making decisions that keep us moving forward in a real and responsible way.”
Tempestt Halstead, artistic director of Orlando Fringe, noted financial difficulties as the reason behind the decision to pause Orlando Out Fest for the foreseeable future, as reported by Watermark. Although the standalone festival is out of commission, the team behind the organization remains committed to supporting and uplifting queer artists and their stories.
Last year’s festival featured eight shows and was initially expected to launch in June. The event was pushed forward several months due to flooding issues at the now-shuttered Fringe ArtSpace building downtown at the time.
Despite initial challenges, the festival garnered positive reviews and was previously scheduled to return this September.
Gov. DeSantis last year vetoed Florida’s funding of $32 million arts grants, blaming fringe festivals for being sexual in nature, and leaving organizations like Orlando Fringe struggling. According to reporting from the Orlando Sentinel, Fringe missed out on an additional $150,000 grant due reallocation of cultural funding by the state Legislature.
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This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2025.