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Crisp, Cozy and Queer: Fall Fundraiser Concert for QuEAR Candy
November 18, 2022 @ 6:30 pm
$20 – $60
You won’t want to miss this Crisp, Cozy, Queer Fundraiser Concert. Those of you who attended our pilot Pride Musical Festival this June know QuEAR Candy can throw at epic party! Come to Pino’s on Friday, November 18, 2022 to enjoy some incredible music brought to you by bands and artists from around the region, as well as here in Highland Park. We’ve got a group of fun and talented queer and trans musicians, and even a poet!
CRISP, COZY AND QUEER, our Fall Fundraiser Jam for Queer Joy is from 6:30pm – 11:30pm EST on Friday November 18th at Pino’s Wine Cellar and Lounge, 13 North 4th Ave., Highland Park, NJ. Come early for happy hour, pizza, and poetry! Stay for a night packed full of great music! See our FAQs below for more information and image description for the image above.
The event will be headlined by Nardello, an NPR “Top Emerging Artist To Know”. Nardello has opened for Brandi Carlile and Tim Reynolds, among others, and she is known for her powerhouse vocals and joyful, soulful and danceable tunes.
Also joining us are two distinct Highland Park-based bands lead by non-binary original singer-songwriters. The Piano Axioms are a lush, timely, up-and-coming indie-rock powerhouse lead by Karuna Sangam.
Delphyne, powered by Highland Park’s Del Sasso, blends genre-fluid protest music, three-part harmonies, soulful lead vocals, and a glam rock vibe into an orgy of queer joy.
We are thrilled to have deeply personal indie folk singer-songwriter courtlyn louise joining us from Philly, armed with their baritone ukulele!
And, Newark-based queer poet Marina Carreira will bring their powerful voice and words to our stage!
All are welcome at our events! Please email us at quearcandy@gmail.com for sliding scale tickets and/or with any accessibility needs. Bring your friends, comfy fall sweaters, and leave the rest to us! We will provide hors d’oeuvres, snacks, and fall treats, and a fabulous line-up of entertainment. The full, extensive selection of Pino’s wine, beer, and cocktails will be available for purchase, in addition to Skullboy’s pizza. If you haven’t tried this in-house, hand-crafted pizza shop, be sure to come early and find out what Highland Park neighbors are raving about!
All ticket sales will directly support the 2023 QuEAR Candy Music Festival, a new, unique, and ambitious LGBTQ+ PRIDE event in Highland Park, aimed at centering LGBTQ+ artists and supporting and affirming LGBTQ+ youth. QuEAR Candy is a community-based non-profit organization who receives fiscal sponsorship from Highland Park based community development corporation Churches Improving Communities. We seek to bring together LGBTQ+ folks from our community and around the state, bring seasoned and emerging LGBTQ+ artists together for an epic festival, and show an outpouring of love and affirmation to our community’s LGBTQ+ youth, including with a lavender graduation, youth dance party, and a scholarship for one of our LGBTQ+ graduates. QuEAR Candy seeks to organize, support and amplify the voices of those fighting against anti-LGBTQ legislation harming our youth, and to counteract these hateful messages with gatherings that honor youth and bring Queer Joy to the community.
(SAVE THE DATE – Our first full-scale QuEAR Candy Pride Music Festival is scheduled for June 11, 2023).
If you cannot attend our Nov. 18 fundraiser, but would like to make a tax-deductible donation, you can do so here:
To follow our events and see photos and videos from our June 26, 2022 pilot festival, visit and follow our Facebook page here: