About Us

A Note from Déjà Louve

I started Queen City Burlesque Expo in 2018 because I wanted a table of my own. One built the way I believed it should be.

From a single weekend in Salmo, QCBE has grown into a production that now spans six communities across the Kootenays — Castlegar, Trail, Nelson, Cranbrook, Salmo, and Creston. For the first five years we paid all of the expenses for every performer who took our stage, as well as a competitive wage, because performers deserve to be paid for their work.

The post-pandemic economic reality eventually meant pivoting to a classic festival model. It was a tough call, but it kept QCBE alive and growing, and that mattered more than holding onto a structure that no longer fit.

What hasn't changed is the why. QCBE has always been about representation, connection, and creating a stage where people across this region can see themselves and feel like they belong. That's been true since season one, and it's still true now.

Thank you for being part of the story.

— Venessa Loubert (Déjà Louve)
Founder & Artistic Director