Kvirhana is festival of queer (LGBTI) art and activism organized by the Sarajevo Open Centre and Tuzla Open Centre in Tuzla and sarajevo. With the Kvirhana Festival, we wish to create a space where queer people can not only be themselves, but can also celebrate their identities. Although Kvirhana is primarily a safe and celebratory space for lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and queer persons, it is also a place of gathering and freedom for all those who support LGBTIQ people or question the established norms related to sex, gender, and sexuality.

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The slogan of this year’s festival, “We’re Not New Here,” boldly affirms the existence, resistance, and contributions of LGBTIQ people throughout history. With this theme, we aim to shed light on the continuity of life and struggle within the LGBTIQ community, and to remember those who came before us but were often rendered invisible, silenced, or erased from dominant narratives due to repression, violence, and legal or societal prohibitions. LGBTIQ people are not a product of modern times, nor are they “imported from the West.” We do not need permission to exist – we have always been here.

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Kvirhana Festival in Sarajevo is held with the support of Sweden.
Festival partner: Goethe-Institut
Media partners: FBL.ba and Radio Sarajevo.