What The Festival Sets 2026 Programming Featuring HANSAL & GEETAL, BUBKUS and More
The Toronto festival will take place at Youngplace, Sweet Action Theatre, and Small World Music Centre.
What The Festival, an annual celebration of all things Drag, Clown and Puppetry, has announced feature programming for their third annual festival taking place September 24-27, 2026 in Youngplace at Sweet Action Theatre, and Small World Music Centre in Toronto.
What The Festival is a wild, live theatre festival presenting the best in 'strange-making' live entertainment. The 2026 festival will host two performances each of Hansal and Geetal by Two2Mango, Bubkus by Jesse Buck, and Drag Me To The Opera with Aida Cupcake.
What The Festival will also present work from notable strange makers in two cabarets, plus a puppet workshop and panel. Audiences can expect endearing, eyebrow raising spectacles from the most creative minds in drag, clown, puppetry, circus, burlesque and beyond with unforgettable ideas, costumes, and DIY stagecraft. The full festival schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
Two2Mango is a Toronto-based oddball comedy duo - part clown, part chaos, and entirely unapologetic. With their signature physical comedy, Sachin Sharma and Shreya Parashar treat the audience as co-actors, blurring the line between who's watching and who's playing. Performed in more than two languages (including clownspeak), Hansal & Geetal is playful, tender, and warmly nostalgic - a gentle reminder that getting a little lost is sometimes part of finding your way home.
Jesse Buck is an award winning 30-year veteran in the world of Clown and physical comedy. Bubkus is an adventure of epic proportions. A battle of one manʼs will to defeat the monsters of his own creation. One Clown, five props. No set. No sound. No words! Bubkus toured extensively in the US and Canada and enjoyed runs in Nanjing, China and St. Petersburg, Russia.
The “fearless delight” herself, Aida Cupcake is the iconic operatic persona created by Alberta's Steven Morton specifically for the award-winning solo show, Drag Me to the Opera. Since her debut in 2021, she has toured to eight Fringe festivals across Canada, thrilling sold out audiences. Drag Me to the Opera tells the story of a young man who loves to sing - even when people question his talent. Parts of the story are told through arias written for women (hence the drag) and fun opera facts. In the end, his experiences, his passion, —and a little luck—help him discover his true voice and follow his heart.
What The Festival is dedicated to the promotion, production and presentation of Toronto's best in Drag, Clown and Puppetry. We are committed to creating a space for artists to play, audiences to laugh and the community to celebrate. The 2026 festival is lead by: Alicia DiStefano - Executive Director; Jenny Serwylo - Associate Producer; Justin Miller - Artistic Consultant; Alexander Mantia - Puppetry Community Liaison; Lucas Irving - Drag Community Liaison; and Damien Nelson - Marketing and Publicity Coordinator.
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Bryan Adams Sudbury Arena (8/31-8/31) |
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WonderPhil the Magician Wychwood Theatre (8/29-8/29) |
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An Evening of Hypnosis & Improv with Asad Mecci & Colin Mochrie Kingston Grand Theatre (11/10-11/10) |
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The Second City Toronto: Mainstage Comedy 92nd Revue The Second City (8/18-10/04) |
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BODIES OF MATTER Terminal Theatre (3/05-3/06) |
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HARMONY OF THE WORLD Meridian Arts Centre (3/06-3/06) |
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Heist Theatre Aquarius (4/28-5/15) |
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MOZART REQUIEM Meridian Arts Centre (6/19-6/19) |
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NORDIC GLORY Meridian Arts Centre (5/15-5/15) |
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Bee Gees Celebration - Soirée du jour de l''an Théâtre Capitole (12/31-12/31) |