Rendezvous: Gathering Light
An evening of workshops, food, and performance for Nottingham’s queer visual arts community.
- Developed in collaboration with Fabric
- £5 Ticket (buy here)
Rendezvous: Gathering Light is the first in a series of queer-focused gatherings at BACKLIT, created in collaboration with Fabric.
The series seeks to boost the visibility and creative connections across Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ communities.
Here's what’s on at the first event on Saturday 13 December:
- Workshop: Protest-and-Presence workhop
- Panel Discussion: Building Queer Space in Nottingham
- Break for food
- Performance: Guest artist, to be revealed
- DJ Set with Aja Ireland
Find more information on each activity in the section below.
Rendezvous: Gathering Light offers space for holiday reflection, celebration and end-of-year connection, grounding queer creative practice in care, solidarity and shared cultural work.
As Nottingham continues to strengthen its queer visibility — from Pride to artist-led initiatives and grassroots organising — the event invites you to come together with us to share resources and imagine collective models of queer space-making across the city.
An evening of queer workshops, food, performance and community
In partnership with Fabric
Saturday 13 December · £5
Rendezvous: Gathering Light is the first in a new series of queer-focused gatherings at BACKLIT, created with Fabric to support visibility, connection and shared creative space for Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ communities.
Whether you’re an artist, organiser or ally, the evening offers room to meet people, exchange ideas and imagine new ways of building queer space in the city as we move towards a new year.
Programme
Open Studios
3:00–7:00pm (Free)
Explore the studios, meet artists and see new work in development throughout the building
Protest + Presence Workshop
3:00–5:00pm
Create visual materials for collective action, including signs and artworks for Pride 2026 and beyond. Led by BACKLIT’s Pending Collective
Panel: Building Queer Space in Nottingham
5:30–6:30pm
With Cj Barra (artist, Queer Notts Archive) and Matthew Chesney (Founder & Co-Director, BACKLIT), hosted by Jazz Swali (Curator, BACKLIT)
A conversation about queer space, activism, community and infrastructures of care
Break / Bar / Open Studios
6:30–7:00pm
Vegetarian Indian Buffet
7:00–8:00pm
Hot food from Bombay Deli
Performance
8:00–8:30pm
Live performance by a guest artist (to be announced)
DJ Set
8:30–9:30pm
A closing set from Aja Ireland
Last entry: 8:30pm
Access
For full access details, including lift access, parking and building layouts, please click here.
If you have access needs or would like support planning your visit, email [email protected] or call 0115 837 2426.