Film lovers are heading to Fire Island this September for a new queer film festival celebrating Cherry Grove, the Pines and their long LGBTQ+ history. With screenings, famous guests, local discounts and extra ferry arrangements, the three-day event offers a lively reason to visit these storied seaside communities.

Essential Takeaways

  • A new cultural event: The Grove & Pines Film Festival runs across Cherry Grove and the Pines from 18 September.
  • Queer stories take centre stage: The programme includes documentaries, animation, short films and stories about drag and trans performers.
  • Big names are involved: Alan Cumming and Johnny Sibilly are among the recognisable figures linked to the festival.
  • Travel has been considered: An offline navigation app, business discounts and an extra late-night ferry aim to make visits easier.
  • The setting matters: Cherry Grove and the Pines have long offered LGBTQ+ visitors space for freedom, friendship and self-expression.

Fire Island gets a festival of its own

Fire Island's queer film festival arrives with more than a stack of screenings. It lands in a place where LGBTQ+ history is woven into the boardwalks, beach paths and brightly painted homes, giving the event an atmosphere that a conventional cinema complex simply couldn't recreate.

The inaugural Grove & Pines Film Festival is scheduled to take over Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines for three days from 18 September. According to the festival's official material, the event is designed to connect film with the communities' long-standing role as a refuge and gathering place.

That makes the setting part of the programme, rather than a backdrop. Visitors won't just move from one screening room to another; they'll be stepping into two communities shaped by generations of queer life.

Why Cherry Grove and the Pines matter

Cherry Grove and the Pines sit roughly 60 miles east of Manhattan and are reached by boat. Their relative distance from the city helped create a rare sense of privacy, while their social energy made them magnets for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers seeking room to live more openly.

Historical accounts from the New York Historical Society and local community organisations describe Fire Island as an important destination before and after the Stonewall era. For many visitors, the islands offered a chance to dress, flirt, perform and socialise with less of the judgement that defined everyday life elsewhere.

That history gives the festival emotional weight. It isn't simply borrowing a fashionable location; it's highlighting a place that has already spent decades making space for queer expression.

Expect drag stories, documentaries and star power

The programme reaches across formats, so audiences can expect more than traditional feature films. Animation, short-form work and documentaries sit alongside stories focused on queer performance and identity, creating a broad menu for both dedicated cinephiles and casual visitors.

Among the featured titles are documentaries about Miss Peppermint, the Harlem drag performer who became the first openly trans finalist on RuPaul's Drag Race, and Sherry Vine, whose career is closely linked to New York's drag scene and Fire Island.

Alan Cumming and Johnny Sibilly also bring extra visibility to the event. Cumming is known for screen, stage and television work, while Sibilly has appeared in Hacks, Pose and Queer as Folk. The mix should appeal to viewers who like a little glamour with their independent cinema.

How to plan your Fire Island festival visit

The practical details matter on an island, especially when screenings are spread between two neighbouring communities. Organisers have created an app called GAPFF that can help visitors navigate venues without relying on a Wi-Fi connection, which is reassuring when reception decides to take a day off.

The festival is also working with accommodation providers, restaurants and other local businesses on visitor discounts. An additional late-night ferry each evening is planned for people returning towards New York City, although travellers should still check the latest timetable before setting off.

For the smoothest trip, book accommodation and ferry travel early, pack comfortable shoes and leave breathing room between events. Fire Island is compact in feel but not always in logistics, and a relaxed schedule will make the experience much more enjoyable.

A timely celebration of queer creativity

The festival's arrival comes as LGBTQ+ arts organisations face renewed uncertainty around funding, public support and political pressure. In that context, putting on a new event is both a practical achievement and a confident statement about whose stories deserve space.

Organiser Brad Loekle told Gothamist that the festival was created partly in response to the current climate and partly as a way to honour personal and artistic history. His comments capture the event's central appeal: the films matter, but so does the human connection around them.

That may be the lasting charm of the weekend. Film festivals can sometimes feel like hurried exercises in queueing and scheduling, but Fire Island already has a strong communal rhythm. Here, the conversations after the credits may prove just as memorable as the films themselves.

Tickets are available through the festival's website, with visitors encouraged to plan transport and accommodation alongside their screenings.

It's a small island with a big story, and this festival is giving that story a new screen.

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