North Star Nerdlesque Festival

04/15/2026

ALL NSNF 2026 notifications have officially been sent 💫

This was our most competitive year yet — truly an overwhelming amount of brilliant, creative, thoughtful work came through our inbox.

And honestly? One of the hardest parts of producing a festival is sending the “no” emails.

We put a lot of care into reviewing every single application — looking at how acts fit together, how shows flow, and what makes sense for this specific year. Even with all of that intention, there are always more incredible acts than we have space for.

If you received a “no” from us, please hear this:
It is not a reflection of your worth, your talent, or how much we admire your work. It’s simply the reality of limited programming.

We also want you to know — we see you.
We see the folks who apply year after year.
We see your growth, your risks, your new ideas, and how your work evolves.

It genuinely means a lot to witness that journey, even in years when we can’t include you.

Please keep applying. We want you in this festival.

And if you’re looking for feedback on how to strengthen your application, email is open 💌

We love and admire you nerds so much 💛

04/06/2026

Host a Nerd, Make a Friend

Want to get more involved with North Star Nerdlesque Festival? We’re looking for kind, welcoming humans to house our out-of-town performers July 9–11!

Hosting is a great way to connect with artists, support the community, and be part of the magic. As a thank-you, hosts receive:
-Access to all festival shows
-3 classes of your choice
-Backstage craft services + social events

No guest room required — air mattresses and couches are totally fine!

Interested? Fill out the form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3ufGanh9qzLlTf88EVZ0ErPmcTJNu3hsKxbGyhWVDEZBazA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=101350461968367380076

Thank you for helping us create a welcoming, supportive festival 💖

Thank you for your interest in hosting an out-of-town performer during the North Star Nerdlesque Festival! We are incredibly grateful for your willingness to open your home and help make the festival possible. Festivals are a wonderful opportunity to meet new performers and get even more involved in...

03/20/2026

✨ IT’S FINALLY HERE ✨

We are beyond thrilled to share a behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 North Star Nerdlesque Festival applications — and y’all… this year showed UP.

From coast to coast (and beyond 👀), performers submitted an incredible range of acts celebrating fandom, creativity, and unapologetic sparkle. 💫

📊 Dive into the full breakdown here:
https://public.tableau.com/views/NorthStarNerdlesqueFestival2026/Demographics

Inside you’ll find:
💥 Where our applicants are coming from
💥 Demographic insights from this year’s pool
💥 The most popular fandoms, characters, and concepts
💥 Musical trends (yes, we see you 👀)
💥 And a few fun surprises along the way

Every year we are blown away by the imagination, passion, and absolute NERVE of this community — and 2026 is no exception.

Thank you to everyone who trusted us with your art. Seriously. We do not take that lightly. 💚

Now… time to make some very difficult decisions. 😈

03/19/2026

✨ ALL HAIL THE ART ✨

We are absolutely gagged to unveil this year’s North Star Nerdlesque Festival poster, created by the incomparable Musette 💫

A powerhouse of design and a beloved member of the burlesque community, Musette is also the creative force and camp counselor behind —and you can feel that deep love of burlesque radiating through every inch of this piece.

From the bold colors to the cheeky details, this poster captures the exact flavor of chaos, glamour, and nerdy delight we’re bringing to the stage this July.

Give Musette some love and let us know—what’s your favorite detail? 👀✨

03/15/2026

🚨 APPLICATIONS CLOSE TOMORROW 🚨

This is your final call to apply for the North Star Nerdlesque Festival!

🗓 Festival Dates: July 9–12, 2026
📍 Twin Cities, Minnesota

North Star Nerdlesque celebrates burlesque, drag, cabaret, circus, and other performances inspired by pop culture, fandom, gaming, comics, film, television, and beyond.

✨ Performer Perks
• $100 performance honorarium
• Opportunities to teach classes ($200 stipend)
• Professional photos & video of your act
• Housing assistance for out-of-town performers
• Free access to all shows and classes
• Perform alongside incredible headliners and MCs
• Social events all weekend with performers from across the country

⭐ New in 2026
• Submit 2 acts per application
• Featured Performer selected per show from the application pool ($250 honorarium + vending)

💸 Application info
• $25 per submission
• 1 free application for BIPOC performers
• 1 fee waiver for financial hardship

⏰ Applications close tomorrow – March 16, 11:59pm PST

🔗 Apply now:
https://forms.gle/bEGoPxau3LSHE7Ko7

This is your moment, nerds.
Let’s see what magic you bring to the stage. ✨

03/07/2026

🚨 FINAL WEEK TO APPLY! 🚨

The countdown is on! Performer applications for the North Star Nerdlesque Festival close Monday, March 16 and we are entering the final stretch.

🗓 Festival Dates: July 9–12, 2026
📍 Twin Cities, Minnesota

North Star Nerdlesque celebrates burlesque, cabaret, drag, circus, and other pop-culture inspired performances from across fandoms—film, television, books, comics, music, gaming, memes, and beyond.

✨ Why perform at North Star?
• $100 performer honorarium
• Opportunities to teach classes ($200 stipend)
• Professional photo and video of your performance
• Housing assistance for out-of-town performers
• Free access to all festival shows and classes
• Social events and community gatherings all weekend
• Perform alongside our incredible headliners and our amazing emcee team

⭐ New in 2026:
• Submit 2 acts per application
• One Featured Performer per show selected from the application pool ($250 honorarium + vending opportunity)

💸 Application Info:
• Regular applications: $25 per submission
• 1 free application for BIPOC performers
• 1 fee waiver available for performers experiencing financial hardship

North Star Nerdlesque is committed to inclusive casting and welcomes performers of all genders, body types, races, and experience levels. All bodies are sexy. All bodies belong on this stage.

⏰ Applications close Monday, March 16

🔗 Apply here:
https://forms.gle/bEGoPxau3LSHE7Ko7

Don’t miss your chance to join us for a weekend of nerdy glamour, incredible artistry, and unforgettable performances. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the stage. ✨

02/20/2026

⚡️ NORTH STAR NERD TRANSMISSION ⚡️
🚨 HEADLINER ANNOUNCEMENT #2 🚨

Incoming from Los Angeles, CA…
🔥 Tas Al-Ghul — The Bengal Bombshell! 🔥

With caramelized curves and mile high legs, it's no wonder why this performer enchants audiences all across the country. Based in Los Angeles, this South Asian siren is a multi award-winning q***r performance artist who will leave you hypnotized with their golden voice and bumps and grinds, and they're here to seduce your heart, your mind, and your wallet, leaving you breathless with your bits aflutter.

As a lifelong nerd, her favorite fandoms are Star Trek, Sailor Moon, and X-Men, and she received her first comic books (Superman and Barbie) in elementary school. They started cosplaying back in 2005, long before they ever went to their first con, with hand-sewn costumes. A Trekkie since birth, their first cosplay was Lt. Nyota Uhura. She has been featured as a panelist, host, performer, and event producer at several cons and festivals across the country, including sold out panels and shows at Anime Expo, LACC, and DragonCon, in addition to producing and selling out the official burlesque show at Emerald City Comic Con 2025. She is also the founder of Silk and Spice Rising, a pan-Asian variety arts festival, presented by her production company Vamptastic Productions, as well as a local activist serving as an SA/DV crisis counselor and mediator/facilitator in her community.

And now? The Bengal Bombshell lands in St. Paul.

✨ See Tas headline our Friday and Saturday night showcases at North Star Nerdlesque Festival 2026 and prepare for spectacle, magic, and nerdlesque excellence at its finest.

📅 Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11
🏛️ The Historic Mounds Theatre
📍 1029 Hudson Rd, St. Paul, MN
🕢 Doors 6:30 PM | Show 7:30 PM
🎟️ Reserved seating only — grab tickets now: https://moundstheatre.org

🚀 Applications are OPEN through March 16.

Want to share the stage with our headliners? This is your sign. Apply now and join the rebellion.

02/18/2026

⚡️ NORTH STAR NERD TRANSMISSION ⚡️
🚨 HEADLINER ANNOUNCEMENT #1 🚨

Incoming from Austin, TX…
🔥 GINGER SNAPS — The Tastiest Tease in Texas! 🔥

Ginger Snaps is an award-winning international burlesque performer, aerialist, and producer from Austin, TX. Voted Austin’s “Best Burlesque Performer” for a DECADE by the Austin Chronicle Reader’s Poll and winner of the 2026 “Stunt Master” Silver Tusk Burlesque Award, she is renowned for her unique burlesque and aerial performance creations as well as her embracing of all things weird! Ginger has been seen on stages and screens across the globe including on America's Got Talent, Das Supertalent in Germany, performing at the illustrious Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in Las Vegas multiple times, headlining the Brasilia Burlesque Festival, and numerous viral social media videos and articles.

She is the Performance Manager for Sky Candy aerial arts, the founder of Legislate THIS - a series of burlesque fundraiser shows for Planned Parenthood, as well as the founder of the Aerials for Plus-Sized Bodies program and accompanying series of professional development workshops that she teaches to studios and instructors around the globe. In addition Ginger has worked with Dell Medical School as a part of their anti-weight bias curriculum in the Health Equity Program teaching fresh docs how to overcome societal weight bias ideas. When not instigating for glitter and social justice Ginger can be found teaching her pets how to use a Ouija board.— blending glitter, activism, and world-class performance into one unstoppable force.

And now? She’s coming to St. Paul.

✨ See Ginger headline our Friday and Saturday night showcases at North Star Nerdlesque Festival 2026 and prepare for spectacle, magic, and nerdlesque excellence at its finest.

📅 Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11
🏛️ The Historic Mounds Theatre
📍 1029 Hudson Rd, St. Paul, MN
🕢 Doors 6:30 PM | Show 7:30 PM
🎟️ Reserved seating only — grab tickets now: https://moundstheatre.org

🚀 Applications are OPEN through March 16.

Want to share the stage with our headliners? This is your sign. Apply now and join the rebellion.

01/26/2026

🧡 SUPPORT THE TWIN CITIES 🧡

Our community thrives when we take care of each other — especially performers, makers, and folks who give so much of themselves to bring joy, art, and connection into our lives.

NSNF has put together a vetted list of organizations that are:
✨ Accepting donations
✨ Supporting artists and performers in need
✨ Providing direct aid to people in our community

👉 Scan the QR code or visit:
https://northstarnerdlesque.com/community-support/

Every share, every donation, and every act of support makes a real difference.

Let’s lift up our Twin Cities community together. 💛



(Please message us if you think someone should be added!)

12/20/2025

NERDLESQUE SPOTLIGHT + GIVEAWAY

🎸 CLOSE TO THE TASSEL 🎸
A progressive rock–themed burlesque extravaganza
Produced by our own Opiumm Hayze along with Pedi Bourgeois

Join us for Close to the Tassel, a love letter to the gloriously over-the-top world of progressive rock—where songs are epics, costumes are cosmic, and counting past 4 is encouraged. Expect tributes to prog icons like Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Tool, and more

Amsterdam Bar & Hall— St. Paul
📅 December 27
🚪 Doors: 7 PM | 🎭 Show: 8 PM

🎟 https://tinyurl.com/CTTTBurlesque

**Presale:**
• GA: $20
• VIP 2-top: $55
• VIP 4-top: $110

🌟 CAST 🌟
• • • • • • • •

🛠 CREW🛠
•

🎁 **GIVEAWAY — WIN 2 VIP TICKETS!**
We’re giving away **two VIP tickets** to *Close to the Tassel*!
To enter:
1️⃣ Follow ****
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Comment with your favorite prog band

Winner announced soon—may the odd time signatures be ever in your favor!