Adelaide’s premier LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festival has announced the dual appointment of Executive and Creative Director ahead of next year’s 30th Anniversary of South Australia’s flagship queer arts festival.
The move signals a bold new chapter for Feast.
In 2025, the festival marked 50 years of liberation with its biggest program in over a decade.
“This invigorating change for Feast Festival,” said Penny McAuley, Chair of Feast’s Board.
“It’s making a statement to the significant contribution, place and relevance of South Australia’s queer culture, communities, creative innovation and belonging as we approach our 30th year.”
“Our focus is on unity, collaboration, and sustainability for the future.”
Feast Festival has proudly announced the appointment of Skye Bee as Executive Director and Katherine Sortini as Creative Director.
This is a first for Feast
While the festival has had similar leadership roles in the past, this is the first time the organisation has appointed both an Executive Director and Creative Director in tandem.
It is a leadership structure that mirrors the Festival’s own values: community-led, artist-driven, and unapologetically queer.
Together, Skye and Katherine, who are both queer artists, bring a powerful combination of operational expertise, creative vision, and deep community connection.
They have a distinguished career spanning large-scale event delivery, inclusive arts practice, and organisational leadership and are a respected figure across Adelaide’s performing arts and queer community scenes.
“Feast has always been more than a festival,” said Skye.
“It is a living, breathing expression of queer culture, connection, and joy.
“This next chapter is about deepening that impact, creating space for bold artistic voices, and ensuring that access, inclusion, and care are embedded in everything we do.”
Feast Executive Director, Skye Bee and Creative Director Katherine SortiniImage: supplied
Skye has built a reputation for producing bold, ambitious work that centres creativity, cultural integration, and community safety.
As an arts leader, Skye brings a rare combination of operational rigour, creative sensibility, and deep sector knowledge.
Skye is widely regarded as a passionate and values-driven advocate for access, inclusion, and the transformative power of the arts.
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‘This festival belongs to the community’
With Katherine Sortini as Creative Director, the pair brings a powerful combination of operational expertise, creative vision, and deep community connection.
“Katherine is a powerful creative, with a remarkable body of work and the passion and vision to move us forward in meaningful ways,” said Skye.
“Her appointment reflects our commitment to a strong and ambitious creative future for Feast.”
Katherine steps into the newly created Creative Director role, having already proven her value to Feast Festival as Creative Producer and Artist and Venue Liaison.
She is an acclaimed and award-winning artist and theatre-maker, and brings a practice grounded in emotional honesty, storytelling, and artistic integrity.
The role of Creative Director reflects both the organisation’s confidence in her vision and its commitment to investing in the artists already embedded in its community.
“Feast has always held an incredible amount of creative energy, and this festival belongs to the community,” Skye said.
“For me, this next chapter is about harnessing that energy and giving it form – shaping a program that is bold, inclusive, and deeply reflective of the people it exists for. I’m excited to build something that feels both locally grounded and unapologetically expansive.”
The pair’s joint appointment signals a renewed commitment to authenticity, artistic integrity, and care at every level of the organisation.
Image: Supplied‘Join us on the journey‘
“Are we excited and ready for this new chapter? You better believe we are,” Board Chair McAuley said.
“The Board, Executive Team, Staff and Volunteers of Feast Festival share not only the vision, but also the manner in which we will achieve these objectives.”
“Where kindness, courage and strategy simultaneously sit at the table of success. Our ambition is to inspire you to join us on this journey.”
The organisation is also seeking to expand its Board and is currently inviting expressions of interest from prospective members.
Feast is particularly interested in individuals with experience and connections in regional communities and youth arts.
This callout is part of a broader commitment to representation, reach, and future-focused leadership.
Joy as a radical act: Feast Festival 2026
This year, Feast Festival will run from November 1 to 22 with Joy as its guiding theme.
For Skye Bee, joy is not a soft concept. It is a radical one.
“Joy is an act of rebellion,” Skye said.
“In a world that often asks queer people to shrink, to justify, or to survive quietly, choosing joy is powerful.”
“It is resistance. It is visibility. It is community. This Festival is an invitation to celebrate that, loudly and unapologetically.”
Image: SuppliedThis edition marks a moment of significant momentum for the festival, which approaches its 30th anniversary in 2027.
Feast continues to lay the foundations for a landmark celebration of three decades of queer arts, culture, and community in South Australia.
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