25th Anniversary FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of trans, queer
and community performance
DATES: June 19-21, 2026
LOCATION: Z Space (450 Florida Street, San Francisco CA, 94110)
TIMES:
June 19 @ 8pm
June 20 @ 8pm
June 21 @ 3pm
TICKETS: Sliding Scale tickets are available here
The iconic FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL returns for its 25th Anniversary with bold, breathtaking, and boundary-pushing dance, music, drag, theater, and interdisciplinary performance, celebrating twenty-five years of trans and queer artistry, resilience, and joy.
This year’s festival features a star-studded lineup of artists from across the Bay Area and beyond, including Filipino American drag supergroup Filipinx; the powerful voices of New Voices Bay Area Transgender, Intersex & Genderqueer Chorus; interdisciplinary movement artist Zuzu Beloved; trans roots music trailblazer Shawna Virago; and trans-centered contemporary dance-theater by Sean Dorsey Dance.
The festival also premieres new original works by B. DeVeaux, Pangaea, Shawn Lee with Bay Area Independent Chinese Dancers, and JanpiStar.
Expect an electric mix of contemporary dance, drag performance, live music, experimental theater, and community-centered storytelling, all rooted in Fresh Meat’s legacy of uplifting trans and queer voices.
Each evening will include pre-show red carpet experience, music, a non-alcoholic bar, photo booth, and more—turning the theater into a space of celebration, connection, and community before the performances begin.
***Audiences are invited to dress up in formal ‘red carpet’ attire to join in the celebration of 25 years!
Date & Time:
Venue:
Z Space
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA
Getting to Z Space
Public Transportation:
Z Space is close to a variety of public transportation lines, most notably the 16th and Mission BART stop (approximately 9 short-side blocks away), and the 22, 27, and 33 MUNI bus lines.
Parking:
In the neighborhood immediately around Z Space, as in much of San Francisco, parking is a challenge during the day. If you are planning on parking on the street, please allow at least 30 minutes to find a space, and be sure to carefully read all restrictions on street signs and parking meters. Street parking is plentiful beginning around 4:00 pm each day and on weekends. There is a paid parking lot (operated by UCSF) at Harrison and 15th Street which has metered visitor spaces and located approximately three blocks from Z Space.
ACCESS INFORMATION:
- Z Space’s entrance, lobby, bathrooms and audience seating areas are wheelchair accessible.
- The front row of theater seats are at floor level; all other rows of seating are on risers and require climbing stairs. The front row will be reserved for accessible seating, wheelchair users, mobility-device users, and people who would like to use extra-wide, armless chairs.
- The front row of seating features armless chairs; all other chairs in the theater have non-moveable arms.
- If you need to reserve accessible seating, please email us at boxoffice@zspace.org. Please specify your access need (eg. if you’re a wheelchair user coming with one companion; if you need an extra-wide, armless chair; if you need to be seated in the ASL seating area).
- Z Space’s bathrooms are all-gender.
- There will not be a scent-reduced seating section for this event
- Identification (ID) is not required to purchase or pick up tickets.
- Each program will feature ASL Interpretation: please let us know when you’re coming (email melissa@freshmeatproductions.org)
- If you plan to bring a service animal/ESA, we request that you email boxoffice@zspace.org so we can best plan for your visit and reserve you an aisle seat.
COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR THIS EVENT:
- KN95 masks will be provided and required for this event.
- Audience is required to be KN95 masked for the entirety of their time inside the building. Our staff will provide KN95 masks to everyone before they enter the building (unless someone’s disability, chronic illness or health condition means they cannot wear a mask).
- By attending the Fresh Meat Festival, you agree to the following:
- You do not have any signs of contagious illness (COVID or otherwise), including pink eye, that aren’t fully explained by a non-contagious health condition that you have
- If you have had COVID, it’s been at least 10 days since your first symptoms or positive test if you were asymptomatic.
Performances include an evening length original production titled “Pehchaan” as well as several repertory works. Through their performances, dance workshops and intensives, and their blog “Intermission” they invite their audiences to engage with their work and vision and celebrate the intersectionality of their identities.
Ishami was founded by Amit Patel & Ishika Seth in the unceded lands of the Ohlone-Muwekma tribes (Fremont, CA) and consists of several dance artists with unique and varied dance backgrounds and experiences.