As Pride Month begins, the city comes alive with a myriad of exuberant events as only San Francisco can. Join us in celebrating LGBTQ+ history, community, and artists past and present through music! CMC’s tuition-free New Voices Bay Area Transgender, Intersex & Genderqueer Chorus (NVBA) will return to perform at the 25th Annual Fresh Meat Festival this June 19–21. The iconic festival, held in the Mission neighborhood at Z Space, includes bold, breathtaking, and boundary-pushing dance, music, drag, theater, and interdisciplinary performance, celebrating trans and queer artistry, resilience, and joy. Expect an electric mix of contemporary dance, drag performance, live music, experimental theater, and community-centered storytelling, all rooted in Fresh Meat’s legacy of uplifting trans and queer voices.
New Voices Bay Area singers made their Fresh Meat Festival debut one a single night in 2019, as well as in the 2020 virtual showcase, with a digitally produced performance due to the pandemic. This year, however, NVBA is excited to be back, in-person, for all three days of performances! “This year New Voices was invited to sing all 3 nights of the festival, which is awesome. So whichever date someone chooses, we’ll be there :)” boasts NVBA co-director Reuben Zellman.
New Voices singers will be in star-studded company: the special 25th Anniversary Festival features the world premieres of new works commissioned especially for the anniversary, with an incredible lineup of nationally acclaimed and locally treasured artists. From B. DeVeaux, Pangaea, and Shawn Lee with Bay Area Independent Chinese Dancers, to Filipino American drag supergroup Filipinx, Zuzu Beloved, trans roots music trailblazer Shawna Virago, and trans-centered contemporary dance-theater by Sean Dorsey Dance, there’s an inspiring experience spanning all styles awaiting audiences.
Performing in this beloved annual tradition means more than just visibility for our musicians, it’s an affirmation of life, a catalyst for artistic innovation and expression, and an essential balm of hope and community healing in a time that can feel politically or socially frightening for many.
June 19-21, 2026
Z Space (450 Florida Street, SF)
June 19 @ 8pm
June 20 @ 8pm
June 21 @ 3pm
Learn more about the festival, see the full lineup, and get tickets here.