The Queer Gala 2025 Returns Bigger Than Ever to Celebrate Queer Culture in Finland
©The Queer Gala
Finland is ready to shine — and the global queer community is invited to witness it.
For the fifth time, The Queer Gala 2025 returns to Helsinki, bigger, bolder, and more meaningful than ever. On January 24th, 2026, the city becomes a global stage for LGBTQIA+ excellence, resilience, creativity, and collective joy.
Held at Korjaamo, Töölö, The Queer Gala 2025 is not just an awards night. It is a statement. A celebration. A powerful reminder that queer lives, stories, and achievements deserve recognition — locally and worldwide.
“The Queer Gala is where visibility becomes celebration, and community becomes power.”
👉 Find the link to vote here: The Queer Gala 2025
Who Is Behind The Queer Gala 2025? Meet Qaareva
At the heart of The Queer Gala is Qaareva ry, an LGBTQIA+ association deeply rooted in community, advocacy, and education.
©qaareva.com
Founded in 2020, Qaareva emerged from a long-standing need for safer spaces, stronger representation, and a thriving rainbow culture in Finland. Yet its history stretches back to the 1980s, born from student movements and university-based queer organizing.
Today, Qaareva is a growing, inclusive queer community for all, working to:
Promote LGBTQIA+ rights in society and institutions
Support queer youth, students, and emerging professionals
Build safer, inclusive environments in higher education
Provide resources, knowledge, and advocacy tools
Support smaller LGBTQIA+ communities and events
Through collaboration with organizations such as the University of Helsinki Student Union and Seta, and through community-driven funding, Qaareva continues to shape a more equal and informed future.
“Qaareva doesn’t just organize events — it builds futures.”
Why The Queer Gala Matters — Now More Than Ever
In a world that is still largely heteronormative, events like The Queer Gala 2025 are essential.
This nationwide celebration honors LGBTQIA+ excellence across society, culture, art, sports, and academia, while creating a space where the community can gather safely, proudly, and unapologetically.
The 2025 Theme: Bloom
©The Queer Gala 2025
This year’s theme, Bloom, invites the community to flourish, thrive, radiate, and take up space. It is about growth — personal, collective, and political.
👉 Find the link to vote here: The Queer Gala 2025
Why This Celebration Is So Important
Visibility & Representation
The Queer Gala 2025 amplifies queer voices and stories, challenging stereotypes and normalizing LGBTQ+ lives in public discourse.
Community & Belonging
It creates a safer space where connection, mental well-being, and solidarity can grow.
Recognition & Inspiration
By honoring activists, artists, researchers, educators, and creators, the gala inspires future generations of change-makers.
Advocacy & Social Change
Beyond celebration, The Queer Gala 2025 is a form of collective action — raising awareness, influencing dialogue, and supporting LGBTQIA+ initiatives.
Pride & Identity
At its core, this event is an act of pride in the face of stigma. A reminder that being queer is something to celebrate.
“Celebrating queer excellence is a political act — and a necessary one.”
The Queer Gala 2025: Categories & Nominations
This fifth edition features over 50 nominees, selected from community suggestions across Finland. If you want to know more about the nominees, visit their Instagram channels.
Award Categories Include:
Queer Act of the Year
Queer Performance of the Year
Queer Movie or TV of the Year
Queer Fiction Book of the Year
Queer Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Queer Specialist of the Year
Queer Activist of the Year
Queer Artist of the Year
Queer Musician of the Year
Queer Song of the Year
Queer Athlete of the Year
Queer Media of the Year
Queer Values Progressing Teacher / Faculty Member of the Year
Queer Research of the Year
Queer Organization of the Year
👉 Find the link to vote here: The Queer Gala 2025
In addition to category winners, special mentions will be awarded during the gala.
Final Voting Round: Your Voice Matters
This is the final round of voting, based on nominations collected from the community during December.
Voting is anonymous
Votes cannot be linked to individuals
Voters are encouraged to share their reasoning
🕒 Voting closes on Thursday, January 15th at 23:59
The results will be announced at the gala and later published on social media.
“The Queer Gala 2025 is powered by the community — every vote is an act of support.”
Event Details: The Queer Gala 2025
Date: January 24th, 2026
Location: Korjaamo, Töölö
Töölönkatu 51 B, HelsinkiTickets: Release January 8, 206 at 9:00
The official afterparty is included with your ticket. Please note that cloakroom fees apply at both Korjaamo and the afterparty venue.
Expect:
Stunning queer performances
An art gallery
Speeches by award winners
Afterparty
A night of visibility, celebration, and connection
There are many surprises and they will be announced very soon on The Queer Gala's official Instagram channel here.
Safer Space & Secure Community Commitment
The Queer Gala follows Qaareva’s Safer Space and Secure Community policies.
By attending, you agree to respect guidelines that ensure a caring, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone. Read more here.
This is how community is protected — and how trust is built.
Queerland Media Opinion: We Must Make Noise
At Queerland Media, we believe it is crucial to amplify events like The Queer Gala 2025.
Visibility is not optional. Community support is not secondary. Celebration is not superficial. We need a constantly growing ecosystem where we can all, as a community, create something magical on a personal, cultural, political, entrepreneurial, and activist level.
The Queer Gala 2025 represents unity, resilience, and the power of coming together — especially in times when queer rights and visibility are under pressure worldwide.
Making noise about these spaces is part of protecting them.
A Final Invitation
The Queer Gala 2025 is more than one night in Helsinki.
It is a signal to the world that LGBTQ+ communities in Finland are thriving, creating, researching, teaching, performing, and leading change.
Join the celebration. Share the story. Support the community.
👉 Find the link to vote and updates here: The Queer Gala 2025, and also for updates and future events
👉 Visit queerlandmedia.com for more LGBTQ+ stories, visibility, and global queer news
Let us bloom together. Let us be seen. Let us celebrate queer excellence — loudly.
