The hotly anticipated festival is taking place in Mallorca from 27 August to 4 September
BY KRISTIN HANSEN, IMAGE PROVIDED
What makes ELLA truly unique is that people don’t just come for the music, the parties or the programme – they come for the people
Every year, LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people from around the world gather in Mallorca, with participants coming from more than 40 different countries. They bring with them different languages, cultures, backgrounds and life experiences, creating something truly extraordinary: a global community built on openness, solidarity and genuine human connection.
ELLA Festival is one part of the ELLA Global Community—a movement that exists throughout the year with one clear mission: we believe that every LGBTQIA+ woman and non-binary person deserves to live freely, safely and authentically, without fear of discrimination or exclusion. The festival is one of the most powerful ways we bring that mission to life.
For many people, simply holding a partner’s hand in public, dancing freely, or expressing who they are without looking over their shoulder is still not a given. Around the world, LGBTQIA+ rights continue to face serious challenges. In many countries, people are still criminalised simply because of who they love. In Africa alone, same-sex relationships remain criminalised in more than 32 of the continent’s 54 countries. Depending on the country, people can face prison sentences of several years, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty.
Beyond these laws, countless LGBTQIA+ people are rejected by their own families, forced out of their homes, excluded from their communities, or subjected to violence and discrimination simply because of who they are.
For many, this is not an occasional fear – it is their daily reality. Every day they have to hide their identity, pretend to be someone they are not, carefully choose their words and actions, and live with the constant fear of being discovered. Many are denied the most fundamental human freedom: the ability to openly love the person they love, build a future together, or simply exist as their authentic selves.
This is a powerful reminder that the fight for equality, dignity and fundamental human rights is far from over.
Yet these challenges are not limited to countries where homosexuality is criminalised. Even in places where legal progress has been achieved, many LGBTQIA+ people still struggle with coming out, fear being visible, or find it difficult to live authentically because of family pressure, workplace discrimination or social expectations.
That is why creating spaces where people can be fully seen, safe and celebrated is not a luxury – it is an act of visibility, solidarity and hope. Visibility matters. When people see themselves represented, welcomed and valued, it sends a powerful message: You belong. Your identity matters. Your story deserves to be seen.
Safe and inclusive spaces build confidence, reduce isolation and remind us that none of us has to face life’s challenges alone. This is why ELLA becomes so much more than a festival. It becomes a place where people reconnect with themselves, discover a true sense of belonging and create friendships that often last a lifetime.
After 13 years of ELLA Festival, including the challenging years of the pandemic, what moves me most is not only seeing people arrive alone and leave with lifelong friends – it is knowing that, in our own way, we are contributing to creating a freer, kinder and more equal world.
What also makes ELLA unique is its truly international spirit. ELLA is much more than an event in Mallorca. Through the ELLA Global Community, we connect people throughout the year and across borders. Following several successful editions of ELLA Mexico, we are now preparing to launch ELLA Colombia in 2027, continuing our mission of creating safe, visible and empowering spaces for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people around the world.
Our vision has always been to bring ELLA to places where community, visibility and human connection can make a meaningful difference. We are particularly interested in creating events in regions where LGBTQIA+ people continue to face significant social challenges. Even where certain rights have been achieved, many people still experience discrimination, invisibility or fear in their everyday lives. In those places, creating spaces where people can come together, celebrate who they are and find belonging becomes even more meaningful.
One of my greatest dreams is to one day bring ELLA to Africa.
It is a dream that carries both hope and responsibility. Any potential location would need to be carefully analysed, always placing the safety and wellbeing of participants first and working closely with local LGBTQIA+ organisations and communities. My hope is that, when the time is right, and the conditions allow, ELLA can become another symbol of visibility, solidarity and empowerment on the African continent.
I dream of a world where no one is persecuted for who they are or who they love. A world where no one has to hide, live in fear or pretend to be someone else simply to survive.
I will never stop believing in – and working towards – a world where love can be chosen freely, where every person has the freedom to be themselves, where diversity is celebrated and where human rights belong equally to everyone.
That is what ELLA offers beyond any festival: a global community where LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people are not simply welcomed – they are seen, celebrated, empowered and connected.
Because in the end, ELLA is not defined only by the stages we build, the artists who perform or the events we organise. It is defined by the lives that are touched, the friendships that are created, the confidence people rediscover within themselves, and the feeling of finally belonging.
If someone leaves ELLA standing a little taller, feeling a little braver, having found lifelong friends, or believing for the first time that they truly belong, then we have achieved exactly what we set out to do.
ELLA Festival Mallorca is taking place from 27 August to 4 September. You can book your tickets HERE.
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