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Ekko Astral announce Liberation Weekend fest ft. Home is Where, Ted Leo, Bartees Strange, L’Rain, more
The two-day DC art and music festival also features Speedy Ortiz, Downtown Boys, Pinkshift, and more.
Ekko Astral and trans rights advocacy collective Gender Liberation Movement are putting on a Washington DC music and arts festival during WorldPride 2025. Liberation Weekend happens on May 30 and 31 at Black Cat and DC9. “The reason we’re putting this event on is simple: artists of all genders and genres should stand in vocal support of the trans community,” Ekko Astral’s Jael Holzman says. “If you stand for freedom of expression, you support trans rights. If you believe in loving your neighbor, you support trans rights. Music is humanity’s most universal language — and we need our best artists to come together in support of our community now before it’s too late.”
Proceeds beyond event expenses will go to Gender Liberation Movement, and help fund future rallies, demonstrations, and direct actions in protest of anti-trans policymaking and business activity.
Friday features Home is Where, Pinkshift, Combat, Pretty Bitter, and “2 special secrets artists” at Black Cat, and an afterparty at DC9 with Perennial, Zora, Um, Jennifer, and DJ sets from Le Camille, Midnight Ecstasy (hannah account b2b Elly Dj), pet wife, and Vanfleet.
Saturday features an early “Locals Only” stage at DC9 with Pink Lemon, Cherub Tree, Massie, and Berra; a TRAИƧA showcase at Black Cat with L’Rain, Bartees Strange, and Asher White; Ted Leo, Speedy Ortiz, Downtown Boys, Big Girl, and Faith/Void, also at Black Cat; and an afterparty at DC9 with Ekko Astral, Pure Adult, Vaelastrasz, and DJ sets from Eev Frances, Time Wharp, Clear Channel, and DJ Horse Jeans.
Tickets for shows at Black Cat and DC9, and the locals only stage, are on sale now, and there is a discount code for those who purchase Black Cat tickets that can be applied to DC9 tickets upon purchase.
“Showing up to celebrate queer culture in moments of widespread grief is exactly what Red Hot has been doing since 1990,” Red Hot’s Dust Reid says. “These TRAИƧA contributors remind us who we are and that art is where the truth of life remains, no matter what. It’s urgent to protect that.”
“I’ve been an out trans woman touring for over a decade, and this is the most precarious it’s ever felt to be making art in America in that time,” Speedy Ortiz’s Audrey Zee Whitesides says. “It’s always been a struggle against reactionaries and often against our own industry, but now we’ve reached a point when we can’t be left alone in that struggle anymore. Increased trans visibility has been beautiful, but events like Liberation Weekend are a chance for allies to do more than just see us—it’s time to stand together, make a lot of noise together, and raise some money for organizations putting in the real work.”
“As the old world dies and we struggle to rebirth it, there has never been a more crucial time to assemble in the name of liberation,” Ekko Astral’s Miri Tyler adds. “Liberation from the shackles of small-mindedness, from the cages of wage slavery, and from the threat of real-life violence. Freedom is an inherent human right, and until all people can taste it, it’s not real for anyone. Let’s prove the strength of our community and get there together.”
