East Nashville’s Queerfest Celebrates, Cultivates Community for LGBTQ Musicians

When Sara Gougeon moved to Nashville, she came with a mission. The Berklee College of Music graduate is an accomplished singer-songwriter and a 2018 finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. In addition to making music, Gougeon is the organizer of Queerfest (formerly Queerfolk Fest), a monthly music festival in the heart of East Nashville featuring LGBTQ musicians. In just one year, Gougeon has expanded the monthly showcase from backyard shows to a one-day festival spreading across multiple venues.

Queerfest’s anniversary event is Sunday, July 24, with sets from 1 to 10 p.m. at The Basement East, The 5 Spot and The Groove. The lineup features artists whose work orbits around the intersection of folk, country and rock, like Mercy Bell, Jett Holden (who you’ve seen with the Black Opry Revue) and Mary Bragg, among many others.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Gougeon says. “I had the idea years ago. Queerfest came from a deep longing I had to meet other queer folks, find community and celebrate LGBTQ+ music. I always wanted a space like this. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I decided to create it. Ever since then, it’s continued to grow!”

Gougeon set down roots in Nashville in the fall of 2020, a difficult time to make friends. While she waited for her classmates to join her in the city per their plan, Gougeon got busy networking at Nashville’s regular LGBTQ offerings.

“I’m grateful for the other LGBTQ+ spaces in town like RNBW and QDP, and now there’s a queer book club,” she notes. “It’s amazing to watch new things pop up every couple of months. Now I have this incredible network, not just of the friends I went to school with, but of so many queer friends I met because they came to my events or other LGBTQ+ events in town.”

Queerfest’s initial concerts were backyard house shows, with Gougeon carting houseplants and P.A. systems all over town in 2021. The event moved indoors at Vinyl Tap as cooler weather set in, and Gougeon notes that the monthly showcase consistently fills the venue. Concertgoers and artists alike have formed a new network of LGBTQ musicians — and deeper relationships.

“I’ve witnessed strangers become friends, collaborations, artists get rebooked for new gigs, and moments of acceptance for folks who never thought they’d know that feeling,” says Gougeon. “I’m constantly blown away by how magical it is.”

For this next step in Queerfest’s evolution, Gougeon is enjoying the demands of staging a three-venue festival all by herself, even amid difficult choices.

“There are so many more incredibly talented LGBTQ+ artists,” she says. “I wish I could have featured more than 14. There were a lot of difficult decisions on who gets to play and who gets sets at bigger venues and with a full band.”

Queerfest has proven such a success that Gougeon has hired an intern to help her manage the workload. “Sometimes I pause and realize I’m doing about five jobs running this thing on my own.”

Gougeon already has her sights set on next year’s festival with hopes to expand it into a two-day event with nationally touring acts.

“I love that booking is a big puzzle,” she says. “It’s a lot of rearranging, toying with things, seeing how everything fits together. That process is fun because I’m extremely creative and organized — a rare combination. I love that booking mixes the two! It’s like writing a song, in the sense that I am creating something that didn’t exist before. These ideas that were once in my head now exist out in the world. I find that so cool!”

While Gougeon was intentional about featuring BIPOC artists and a diversity of musical genres, she also left a small bonus in the lineup for herself.

“I genuinely love all the artists on the lineup. I’m really excited for Mary Bragg. That set is going to be so special. Her music is stunning, and she’s the final set. I can’t wait to watch her play, take a breath, and enjoy what I’ve been working towards for this past year.”