The award-winning Rainbow Lit Fest – Queer & Inclusive is set to return on December 6 and 7 with one of its most diverse and expansive editions yet. Recognised as South Asia’s largest queer-inclusive cultural festival, the 2025 edition brings together more than 90 speakers from across India and the world, including participants travelling from Petchaburi and Bangkok (Thailand), Vancouver (Canada), Oslo (Norway), and Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Shimla, Panaji and Delhi.
The Fest continues to evolve into a warm, open cultural platform where people can speak, listen and express themselves freely while celebrating lived experiences and honest storytelling.
This year’s programming features over 1,800 minutes of content across two stages, spanning panel discussions, talks, history sessions, dance, drag performances, poetry, short films and music. The popular Queer Bazaar will return with 18 selected queer entrepreneurs out of 118 submissions, curated with attention to socio-economics, intersectionality, visibility and representation across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
A notable slate of film screenings and premieres strengthens the 2025 lineup. The Fest will host the Delhi premiere of Tara, directed by Dalit filmmaker Ashutosh Shankar and produced by Zena Sagar, a Dalit and transgender woman, with endorsement from Varun Grover. It will also feature the national premiere of Don’t Interrupt While We Dance by filmmaker and writer Anureet Watta. Other screenings include The Night Queen starring Sheeba Chaddha, The Lime Green Shirt featuring Lillete Dubey, and the UK short film Queer Parivar, created by South Asian-origin filmmakers.
The speaker roster brings together influential cultural voices, creators and thinkers, including Suvir Saran, Urvashi Butalia, Dolly Singh, Shahana Goswami, Blossom Kochhar, Anish Gawande, Gaurav Jagtiani, Madhavi Menon and Saurabh Kirpal. Their sessions will explore themes such as mental health, love, parenting, cinema, sensuality, kink, intersectionality and facets of queer and everyday life that often remain unheard.
Adding to the festival’s significance, the Rainbow Awards for Literature & Journalism 2025—which received over 100 entries this year—will honour impactful writing, reporting and storytelling that engage with queer narratives.
Speaking about this year’s edition, Festival Director Sharif D. Rangnekar said, “We are grateful that so many speakers have come forth to be part of our space, sharing their view on a variety of topics. We are also thankful to donors, sponsors and community support groups to give us the strength to continue to host the Festival in a market where funds for anything queer is hard to come by.”
Rangnekar, a writer and long-time advocate for culture, inclusion and LGBTQIA+ representation, has worked across media, publishing, arts and community building, shaping Rainbow Lit Fest into one of the country’s most meaningful platforms for queer-affirming dialogue and creative expression.
The Fest will take place on December 6 and 7 at the Gulmohar Park Club, with programming scheduled from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM on both days.
