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SisterSpace Weekend Is Back For Its 51st Year Of Sapphic Joy And Community

September 4, 2026 Meena Jalloh

Photo courtesy of Polly Laurelchild-Hertig

SisterSpace Weekend returns to Northern Maryland this September with three days of music, art, dancing, and queer sisterhood.

SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival is back for its 51st year, bringing three days of music, art, dancing, workshops, and unapologetic sapphic joy to the rolling hills of Northern Maryland. This year’s theme, “Art, Culture, and Community as Resistance,” is fitting for a festival built on the radical idea that queer women and nonbinary people deserve a space to gather, create, celebrate, and simply be themselves.

What began in 1975 as a women’s self-defense workshop weekend has grown into one of the longest-running women-centered festivals in North America. The volunteer-run event continues that legacy with a packed weekend designed around connection, creativity, and a little bit of joyful chaos.

If you have any question that the festival’s community-first spirit resonates with the people who attend, SisterSpace’s 2025 attendees and volunteers had plenty to gush about in a post event survey. One respondent called it “one of the best festivals I’ve been to,” adding, “I loved the inclusivity of the whole experience. Having food and camping accommodations included was really nice. The diversity of women was amazing. And a pool!?!! What a treat!”

Another respondent, a first-time attendee who also volunteered on the kitchen crew, wrote, “You could feel the love and community behind it all…I greatly enjoyed my assignment—meeting and working with the other volunteers. I hope to come back next year.”

This year’s lineup of muscians and arts spans generations and genres, including legendary singer-songwriter and activist Holly Near, blues powerhouse Alexis P. Suter, guitar icon KJ Denhert, Jamaican-American-Chinese poet and activist Staceyann Chin, and Cocomamas’ Mayra Casales.

Singer-songwriter Samantha Rise, hip-hop artist Cvgebird, vibraphonist Hudson River, indie young-adult-contemporary musician Rachel May, and aerial dance ensemble Tangle Movement Arts all hail from Philadelphia and will be bringing their unique artistry to the event as part of the festival’s entertainment lineup. For anyone looking to discover their next favorite artist—or simply dance, listen, and vibe.

For those looking to spend the night on the dance floor, SisterSpace has that covered, too. DJ Maria Maria will kick off the weekend with a pool party, while DJs SheeK, Kathy G, and Dr. DJ will soundtrack Friday night’s silent glow dance party. Saturday brings a square dance with caller Zip Warmerdam and a late-night set from New Orleans queer DJ Warm Advice.

Beyond the stages, attendees can spend the weekend wandering through the Gallery in the Woods, making art at ArtSpace, shopping at Vendors Village, joining workshops, singing karaoke at the General Store, or gathering around the bonfire. There’s also pickleball, basketball, hiking, a clothing-optional pool, and SisterSpace’s ever-popular SexualitySpace for adults. With cabins, tent and RV camping, nearby hotels, and day passes available, SisterSpace offers plenty of ways to experience the weekend. Meals from Friday lunch through Sunday brunch are included with weekend packages.

The festival also makes room for spiritual and cultural observance, including the return of the Red Tent and programming for Rosh Hashanah, which falls during the weekend this year. For longtime SisterSpace attendees, that sense of tradition is part of the appeal. One respondent put it simply: “The tradition lives on!”

After 51 years, SisterSpace’s central premise remains remarkably simple: Community can be its own form of resistance.

SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival takes place September 11–13, 2026, in Northern Maryland. Tickets and more information are available at sisterspace.org.