Love Fest Events

This event is open to all men and masculine identifying non-binary folx and will be an opportunity to build friendships with other menfolk. In our culture, many men are conditioned to undervalue each other as friends and support (instead focusing on their romantic partners to fill that role) and hide their feelings, thoughts and vulnerabilities behind a mask of stoicism. Let's work together to fix that.

Doors will open at 6:30pm for some mingle and to give folk time to arrive. At 7pm, we’ll have some short announcements then get to the programming for the evening. The intention here is to create a space to have meaningful conversations. To facilitate that, we may break into smaller groups with facilitators guiding the conversation with conversational prompts and helping to create a safe environment to share and be heard. Prompts can be selected from “Ice Breaker” questions to deeper, more personal questions - depending on the participant’s level of comfort.

It is expected that everyone attending will show up as authentically as they are comfortable and to commit to holding the confidence of anything discussed. Our goal is for this to be an opportunity to have fun and build connections. As such, by attending you agree to:

1. Use “I” statements to share personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Speak from your personal experiences and not the experiences of others. We do not share stories that are not ours to tell.

2. Keep the confidence of what is shared at the event and not disclose information learned here to those not in attendance.

3. Actively listen, remove distractions (step away if you need to be on your phone), and not engage in cross-talk.

4. Respect those that are sharing by not interrupting or cutting tension by distracting with humor.

5. Refrain from giving advice unless specifically asked. This is about telling our stories, not telling others what they “should” be doing (unless they ask for advice).

***Love Fest Education supports regional and local organizers in creating inclusive, community-driven gatherings that celebrate diversity, equity, and connection. Learn more at www.lovefestevents.com

Fairness in relationships is rarely as simple as “treat everyone the same.” In non-monogamy especially, relationships often have different needs, levels of commitment, and forms of connection and trying to force equality can sometimes create more harm than clarity.

In this workshop, we will explore how fairness, prioritization, and power dynamics show up within non-monogamous relationships, and why equity is often a more useful framework than equality when building sustainable, intentional connection. Together, we will unpack the difference between equality and equity, examining how rigid attempts to make every relationship look the same can lead to resentment, comparison, burnout, or unmet needs.

Attendees will explore how to make decisions that honor the unique context of each relationship while still maintaining transparency, care, and accountability. We will discuss how to navigate differences in time, energy, commitment, emotional investment, and practical responsibilities without defaulting to control, scarcity, or unhealthy comparison.

From there, we will take a deeper look at hierarchy: what it is, how it functions both explicitly and implicitly, and how power dynamics can impact autonomy, agency, trust, and emotional safety within relationships. We will also differentiate between prioritization and hierarchy, helping attendees explore how to intentionally allocate time, resources, and responsibility without unintentionally limiting the autonomy of others.

We will also explore the complexities of hinge dynamics and metamour relationships, including the responsibilities of being a hinge partner, navigating communication across shared relationships, and fostering healthier metamour interactions rooted in clarity, respect, and consent. Attendees will examine how triangulation, comparison, and miscommunication can emerge in interconnected relationship systems, and how intentional communication, boundaries, and accountability can reduce unnecessary harm.

Throughout the workshop, we will emphasize self-awareness, communication, and consent as foundational tools for navigating complex relational structures. Attendees will be invited to reflect on their own values around fairness, commitment, autonomy, and responsibility, and develop language for expressing those values with greater clarity and intention.

By the end of the workshop, attendees will leave with practical tools for making more equitable decisions, navigating hierarchy and prioritization with greater awareness, and building healthier, more transparent dynamics across multiple relationships.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Workshop starts at 7pm.

The Relationship Foundations Series is designed to provide competency in core relationship skills that are necessary to maintain successful meaningful relationships. By identifying the most prominent friction points in the practice of transitioning and practicing non-monogamy, the series seeks to provide attendees with the knowledge and practical skills to avoid roadblocks, move through discomfort, and build thriving relationships.

This LGBTQIA+ event is open to all queer identifying folx and will be an opportunity to build friendships with other queer folx. Some of us are out and proud, some are exploring and curious, some of closeted to family/friends/work for a number of reasons - and all are welcome here. This event is designed to bring together those of us with similar lived experiences of navigating a predominantly straight society, so that we have a space to share our stories, give support, and build community. Do you find yourself sometimes downplaying your queerness in certain spaces? Or perhaps you play it up as a sort of social armor? Maybe you feel you’re “not gay enough” or conversely “too much” for some people. No matter where you are in your journey of self-exploration, let’s come together to look behind the rainbow at the humans underneath. This event is for all who self-identify as falling under the LGBTQIA+/queer umbrella - we will not gatekeep - none will be turned away due to orientation/gender/gender expression.

Doors will open at 6:30pm for some mingle and to give folk time to arrive. At 7pm, we’ll have some short announcements then get to the programming for the evening. The intention here is to create a space to have meaningful conversations. To facilitate that, we may break into smaller groups with facilitators guiding the conversation with conversational prompts and helping to create a safe environment to share and be heard. Prompts can be selected from “Ice Breaker” questions to deeper, more personal questions - depending on the participant’s level of comfort.
It is expected that everyone attending will show up as authentically as they are comfortable and to commit to holding the confidence of anything discussed. Our goal is for this to be an opportunity to have fun and build connections. As such, by attending you agree to:
1. Use “I” statements to share personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Speak from your personal experiences and not the experiences of others. We do not share stories that are not ours to tell.
2. Keep the confidence of what is shared at the event and not disclose information learned here to those not in attendance.
3. Actively listen, remove distractions (step away if you need to be on your phone), and not engage in cross-talk.
4. Respect those that are sharing by not interrupting or cutting tension by distracting with humor.
5. Refrain from giving advice unless specifically asked. This is about telling our stories, not telling others what they “should” be doing (unless they ask for advice).

***Love Fest Education supports regional and local organizers in creating inclusive, community-driven gatherings that celebrate diversity, equity, and connection. Learn more at www.lovefestevents.com

Most people were taught to approach sex through fear, shame, silence, or risk avoidance , but healthy sexuality requires more than just avoiding harm. It also requires agency, communication, pleasure, and informed choice.

In this workshop, we will explore how to build a more liberated, grounded, and shame-resilient relationship with sex, pleasure, and sexual health. Rather than relying on fear-based messaging or stigma-driven narratives, we will center consent, communication, embodiment, and personal agency as the foundation for safer and more connected sexual experiences.

Together, we will unpack common myths and misconceptions surrounding sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including how stigma and misinformation shape the ways people communicate, disclose, assess risk, and make decisions about sex. Attendees will develop a more nuanced understanding of STI realities, transmission, testing, and responsibility, allowing for conversations that feel informed rather than fear-driven.

From there, we will focus on practical communication skills: how to talk openly about testing, sexual health practices, boundaries, comfort levels, and risk tolerance in ways that are transparent, respectful, and consent-centered. Attendees will explore how to disclose information without shame, ask questions without judgment, and navigate differing needs or boundaries with care and clarity.

We will also center pleasure as an essential (and often neglected) part of sexual health conversations. Attendees will be invited to reflect on how desire, curiosity, intimacy, and embodiment can coexist with responsibility and accountability, and how advocating for pleasure can be part of building healthier and more intentional sexual experiences.

Throughout the workshop, we will emphasize that consent, boundaries, and safer sex practices are ongoing collaborative processes, not one-time conversations or rigid checklists. Attendees will develop language and tools for negotiating safer sex practices, communicating needs and limits, and making informed choices that align with their values, capacity, and desired experiences.

By the end of the workshop, attendees will leave with greater confidence navigating sexual health conversations, a more compassionate and informed understanding of STIs and risk, and practical tools for engaging in sex that is consensual, communicative, informed, and rooted in both pleasure and personal agency.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Workshop starts at 7pm.

The Relationship Foundations Series is designed to provide competency in core relationship skills that are necessary to maintain successful meaningful relationships. By identifying the most prominent friction points in the practice of transitioning and practicing non-monogamy, the series seeks to provide attendees with the knowledge and practical skills to avoid roadblocks, move through discomfort, and build thriving relationships.