Who should attend Vegas Women’s Fest? ‘Anyone who supports women. It truly is that simple.’

Vegas Women’s Fest returns for year three at The Center March 20-21. Festivities will kick off with the Behind the Mask Masquerade Ball on March 20. The carnevale-themed opening party is a 21-plus event and will include a cash bar, DJ and no cover charge. Masks will be available for purchase at the door and prizes will be awarded for the costumes in five categories including, Best Overall, Sexiest, Most Humorous, Mardi Gras Gurl and Mardi Gras Boi. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The Vegas Women’s Fest main event begins at noon on March 21 and is intentionally inclusive of families, male-identified, trans and non-binary individuals. The event is free to the public and will feature an art show, marketplace, health fair, adult and sex-positive room, live entertainment and closing drum circle. We caught up with event founder, Cindi Hall, to learn what to expect in year three.

What was your inspiration for creating an event like Vegas Women’s Fest?

I was lucky enough to come out in a time when there were lots of women’s retreats, concerts and festivals. I thought why not try to do that again here in Vegas? Why not have an event that could highlight all the great things women do and create? Originally, I was thinking of just a Music and Art Festival but then the more I talked to women about it the more I realized the need to not only showcase women but educate and provide services.

What is NEW for 2020?

Oh wow, lots! We grew so much in just two years we decided we needed to divide things up a bit so we’ve eliminated workshops from the Fest and will be doing an entire workshop series beginning in April.

We’ve almost doubled the Marketplace this year and we thought to be truer to our original vision of helping women get exposure we will be featuring new emerging entertainers this year rather than the seasoned performers we’ve had in the past. Keep an eye out for our NEW Music Festival in September! We thought it important to provide support and a spotlight for those entertainers just starting off.

We also added an adults-only positive-sex room to educate attendees on various sexual practices and help shine a positive light on the BDSM community. And, this year we’ll be closing our festival with a drum circle, which I hope will become a tradition.

Who should attend Vegas Women’s Fest?

Anyone who supports women. It truly is that simple. Our event is family-friendly and intentionally inclusive of trans and nonbinary individuals. We aren’t interested in what divides us, only what unites us.

Why should someone who has never attended come this year?

Because we truly have something for everyone! I think we’ve done a pretty good job of touching on many of the aspects of what interests women and their allies. But if not, we’d love to hear

Who is the benefactor for Vegas Women’s Fest?

This year, we’re very excited to be partnering with The Village, Las Vegas’ first LGBTQ School. All the proceeds from our 50/50 raffles will be going to support The Village as well as various other fundraising that will be done throughout the year.

Who runs the event?  

We’re an all-volunteer organization. I’m so lucky to work with a wonderful core group of women, the Vegas Women’s Fest Organizing Committee, who do the majority of behind-the-scenes organizing and then, of course, we have a fabulous army of volunteers that help us at events throughout the year and the festival.

How does someone join the committee?

Just reach out to us and come to a meeting! We’re open to new dedicated committee members. I feel for an event like this to continue and grow it’s vital to bring in new members and new ideas. So, we welcome anyone who’s serious about getting involved. It’s a lot of work but it’s also a ton of fun!

What kind of events do you have throughout the year?

We have a wide variety of events all yearlong and it’s growing. We have pool parties all summerlong as well as several holiday parties, such as Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

We also partner with Las Vegas Pride to put on the annual Women’s Pride Picnic.

In April, we’ll be starting our workshop series, which will feature speakers talking on a variety of topics of interest to the community. We hope to introduce new events in the fall, as well, so stay tuned for more details!