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Ladyfag is talking to The FADER backstage at LadyLand with a unicorn horn affixed to her forehead.
The Real Housewife of Salt Lake City Meredith Marks is DJing nearby and all around one can hear the cackles of vodka-soaked members of the LGBT community gathering Under The K Bridge (literally under the Kosciuszko Bridge) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for a night of debauchery and pomp.
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The legendary NYC nightlife impresario is the force behind queer parties and scene pillars like Battle Hymn and LadyLand — her uproarious Pride weekend festival that’s been causing mayhem since 2018 and which has hosted such disparately iconic acts as SOPHIE, Christina Aguilera, Tinashe, FKA Twigs, and many, many more.
The idea for the massive fest came to Ladyfag when she realized there was no queer, alternative festival on Pride weekend in NYC — something a little more spicy than the corporate-backed parade, but a little more "pop" than any of the grimy warehouse shows populating Brooklyn. “For a few years, I kept being like, ‘Is there a reason there isn't one?,’” says Ladyfag of the imaginary sweet-spot-style fest. “In our little gay office, we used one of our many sayings: ‘Where there is a hole, fill it.’"
In 2026, LadyLand pared down from a two-day megafest to a one-day extravaganza featuring headliner Kim Petras, who previewed her performance as one of the few times she’d be performing her “debut” record, the critically lauded, Detour. (Petras sat down for a long chat about the project with The FADER in May). It was a full circle moment for both Ladyfag and Petras, given the fact that Petras played the very first LadyLand in 2018 and is now its top billed artist. “I want to create platforms for these kinds of artists to have those moments so that one day they can become big stars. I'm really proud of her,” says Ladyfag of Petras.
Read The FADER’s entire chat with Ladyfag below and learn about the magic that keeps the festival going and New York City night life so singular.
The FADER: I know you do parties all year. Where does LadyLand fit in your universe?
Ladyfag: I do parties all year and then this is our annual Pride extravaganza.
What was the seed of the idea for this festival in particular, when you first started organizing it?
For the youngins, they might not realize this, but in 2018, which was not that long ago, there actually wasn't really a queer music festival like this. I don't think we're the first, but there definitely was not really anything like a Coachella for gays, or something that really represented the queer community, and also somewhere where I wanted to go and party with my friends.
How did it end up at Under The K Bridge?
We didn't start the festival here. We did them for a few years somewhere else. When we did the first [LadyLand] here [in 2023], there wasn't any big festival here. We were the first big one. It was starting with a blank canvas, but we're obsessed with this venue. I was obsessed with the Junction 2 Festival in London, and I always see them under a [motorway bridge] — like our Brooklyn-Queen Express (BQE). And I live right beside the BQE, and I'd be like, "How the fuck does Junction 2 get to have this under an underpass and we can't do anything there?" So it was this amazing miracle, kismet, that I got to actually throw my festival here.
What is the secret ingredient to putting this massive festival together?
Being a little crazy. It's definitely not something that I recommend to everyone. There's maybe a reason not everybody wanted to do it. It's a lot of work, and it obviously pays off because it's so fabulous and I love doing it. But yeah, it's crazy.
What's standing out to you about LadyLand this year?
This year's pretty exciting for us because we started in 2018 there was this young artist, a little baby Kim Petras. Her agents were like, "Oh, we have this artist, [Kim Petras]." And I was like, "Oh my god, I love her. She's so fab. She's so LadyLand … this is exactly what I want." So she came up, she had a few songs in her back pocket, and it started to rain. And she got up there and she started singing "Heart to Break." And she put her mic in the audience, and everyone started singing, and she was just feeling it. And I looked at her, and I was like, "She's going to be a big fucking star."
And now, full circle moment for both of us: she came back here and is headlining LadyLand. I want to create platforms for these kinds of artists to have those moments so that one day they can become big stars. I'm really proud of her. I'm proud of all the artists [here tonight]. The past two months, I'm sitting in my office working on shit, trying to get everything ready, but so are all these artists. So they're all in their studios, practicing their dance moves, perfecting their crafts, and all these different people are all working on their parts to make it happen, and all coming together for one night. That's just the magic of a festival.
What allows New York City nightlife to continue thriving?
It's the fact that New Yorkers don't give up. Every year, I almost give up on Ladyland and then I get to the festival, and I hear everyone screaming, and I see everyone having the time of their life, and I'm just like, "Oh yeah, I can't wait till next year." That's part of being a New Yorker. We make shit happen. So, I'll see you next year.
