OutFest Philadelphia 2026

OutFest Philadelphia is the city's annual LGBTQ+ film festival, held each October in venues across Center City and the Gayborhood. As one of the longest-running queer film festivals on the East Coast, OutFest brings together features, documentaries, and short films from queer filmmakers across the United States and internationally, screening work that ranges from mainstream festival acquisitions to experimental and community-produced work that would not find another platform in the city. The festival is programming-driven — the selections reflect genuine curatorial intelligence rather than a commercial logic — and includes a programme of panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and community events alongside the screenings. OutFest operates in the tradition of queer film festivals as community-building events: the audience at any given screening is as much the point as the film itself, and the chance encounters and connections facilitated by a week of shared cinema are built into the festival's purpose. Screenings are held at the Philadelphia Film Centre and partner venues in the Gayborhood; the festival passes and individual tickets are available online.