Could this be the UK’s queerest music festival?

Queer clubbers of England, rejoice. After eight years in business, lauded mega-rave, Adonis, has announced its own fully fledged festival. Taking place over a weekend usually reserved for Glastonbury, the event, aptly named Runway, will be held in a former air base in Gloucestershire, replete with grassy planes and a studied line-up of greats.

Shay Malt, the Cheltenham-raised, 42-year-old promoter behind one of London’s most successful club nights, is naturally a little nervous. ​“I mean, it’s no mean feat to pull off,” he says, calling from his home in East London. ​“Everyone calls me mad for wanting to do it, but it just felt like the next step from doing the party.” His hope is to create a world of sorts, harnessing the fleeting but urgent mood of jubilation a festival format brings.

As ever, Shay will lean on Adonis’ motley crew of creatives – artists Max Allen and Kurtis Lincoln, and photographer Roxy Lee, for example – and longstanding resident DJs Byron Yeates, Hannah Holland, Gideön, Grace Sands, Seb Odyssey and Marie Malarie. Plus, plenty of new collaborating makers and do-ers, and some rather major IYKYK bookings. ​“We’ve got some real legends in there,” he says, citing a bevy of icons. Think: Stacey ​“Hotwaxx” Hale, the esteemed godmother of house who came up in the ​‘80s as the leading female of Motor City – you’ll recognise her D (for Detroit) earrings; another Detroit original, Blake Baxter (his first release was in 1987 on Kevin Saunderson’s KMS imprint); and LA’s favourite bear, Victor Rodriguez.

There’s also a more contemporary edge to the programming. Chicago’s Miss Twink USA and NYC-based vocalist-cum-selector Kim Ann Foxman. ​“So, a lot of Americans,” Shay adds. ​“Then, we’ve just gone with people who are doing cool things and cool parties,” He calls out Luigi Di Venerr + Stathis, who play Adonis regularly and run Berlin party, Power Dance Club. Did we mention London heroes Peach, OK Williams and Midland?

You might have noticed that there’s a lot of queer talent. That’s by design. ​“The vision was to make sure the line-up reflects what we want the crowd to look like,” Shay explains. ​“So we have tried to be as diverse as possible, not just in gender or sexuality – but just in all the categories: class, age, everything.” Over the years, this has been the kernel of Adonis’ clubbing philosophy, matched in a positively selective door policy, subsidised tickets and the opportunity to pay your way by working a party. At the festival, this will mean about 20 per cent of the tickets are going to be allocated to volunteers; people can help build sets beforehand or get involved in logistics, pre, during and after. ​“There could be a role for anyone, any skill set,” Shay continues. ​“It’s going to help us make sure as many people are involved [as possible] and build a community around it – as well as giving people a chance who maybe can’t afford a ticket price.”

So far, details have been sparse. But beyond camping and campery – there will also be capacity for campervans and caravans – attendees have a lot to look forward to. It’s only an hour and 15 minutes on a direct train from Paddington. And, as we discover in this phone call with Shay, there’s some very special details.

Hey, Shay. How long has Runway been in the works?

Hey! So, we [actually] had a site secured to do it in 2020 but, you know, things [Covid] got in the way. It’s just been on the back burner. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been thinking about it more and more. It took us time to really find a site that we thought was suitable. I mean, it was either that or try to open my own club. But I think doing a club and being locked into something every week, the fun would probably disappear quite quickly. With a festival, I love the idea of it being a temporary thing. You can create a fantasy.

Exactly. The Adonis outfit has been part of the festival circuit for a long time now, doing stages at Maiden Voyage, Gala and Love International. Did those experiences push you to Runway?

Yeah, [in those instances] you’re sort of limited to the ideas of the festival or that festival’s stage. So I’ve just always imagined what it would be like for us if we could do our own.

And now you are. It’s going to crossover with the dates Glastonbury would be on [it’s a fallow year]. Was that intentional?

It made sense for us to do Glastonbury weekend for our first edition because there’s a big hole in the festival calendar. I know a lot of my friends and people I know will really be missing Glastonbury this year. It’s also dependent on the availability of the site, so the stars just aligned, really.

The location hasn’t been fully shared yet. Spill…

It’s at Cotswold Airport, near Cirencester, in Kemble. It was one the last sites we saw. I saw about 20 over the last two years whilst we’ve been trying to find a home for Runway. It was a real curveball and not the sort of site we were initially looking for. We wanted green fields in the middle of nowhere, with no signs of life, secluded. This is totally different, it has lots of quirky aspects – old jumbo jets lying around, airplane hangars and, obviously, the main attraction, this huge runway we can party on. The festival was originally going to be called something completely different but after finding the site, it just made total sense to call it Runway.

What does the layout look like?

The epicentre of the festival is a fantasy Gay Street – like a gaybourhood. It’s something that’s pretty much disappeared from queer people’s lives now. You know, in days gone by, your queer world would centre around a Soho [in London] or Castro [in San Francisco] or Christopher Street in New York. It’s going to be something that grows over the years, so there will be more and more things to do on this street, as opposed to what’s happening in the real world, where everything’s being gentrified and shut down. The aim is to work with as many queer people as possible to contribute to the street, whether they’re designing a shop front, an entrance to an [abandoned] fantasy gay sauna or an old leather bar.

Sounds fabulous. As an organiser, you’ve always uplifted your queer community – on a small and big scale – prioritising under-represented groups at the parties. How will the festival continue these principles?

Admittedly, it’s something that we’ve struggled with [at Adonis] because as the party became more successful over the years, [more] people want[ed] to come who it wasn’t generally intended for. You know, the core people of the party get diluted by people who aren’t really in that scene. With this festival, we want to make sure that the diversity of the line-ups is reflected in the crowd. We want it to be accessible too, so rather than just doing the usual discounted or community ticket – which we are going to do in small portions – we really want to push the volunteer programme as a means of entry, to get as many people involved in helping us bring the project to life.

Nice. At the moment, club culture in the UK and Europe is struggling, but at the same time, there is no shortage of clubs and festivals that cater towards sweat-loving queers. What sets this festival apart from, say, Glastonbury’s NYC Downlow or Whole in Germany?

Well, I hope it has the best elements of both of those because they’re amazing festivals and amazing experiences for queer people to be in a field with others they can relate to. I really want to build on that feeling. But what’s going to set us apart? It’s probably going to have a bit of a chaotic feel to it! Joking aside, we really want this festival to be a celebration and a showcase of queer talent in arts and performance as well as music, so its going to have a really strong visual identity, as well as a sonic one.

Yeah, your club nights have always brought out a varied mix of people, from fashion kids, hot-shit dolls and pups through to muscle Marys. Are you hoping to see more of that diversity at Runway?

Yeah, it goes back to the reason I wanted to build this gaybourhood. When I first started going to gay and queer clubs in my hometown, there was only one bar and everybody would go there. I think we’re kind of spoiled in London; there’s so many different places you can find your clique or little circle, but you don’t really mix together. My aim for this street is to take you back to that time where there was a place for everyone. The main narrative of the street is going to be a Pride weekend – it’s going to feel like a street party.

Should we dress up for the occasion? Bring out the pleasers or stick with grubby old clothes?

Well, I don’t think you need rainbow face paint, but I think come as crazy or as topless as you want. Wear a jock strap. Wear a secret sequin top. Whatever you want.

Noted. The Adonis outfit has thrived in a hard environment, gone around the world, played at Panorama Bar, Cocktail D’Amore and more. There’s even a monthly NTS show. Does Runway feel like your pinch-me moment?

I think the pinch-me moment will be when I’m there, seeing people enjoy themselves. I think that’s when I’ll really be like, ​“Wow, this is, it happened.”

See you there, Shay.

See you soon!