Vulture today announced additional programming for its annual pop-culture extravaganza, Vulture Festival, which is returning for the tenth year in a row with a weekend of high-profile events. Taking place November 11 and 12 at Nya Studios in Los Angeles, the festival will bring fans an incredible array of actors in conversation, screenings, sing-alongs, and unique surprises that only Vulture can provide. During the festival, Broadway icon and fashion legend Billy Porter will receive Vulture’s fourth honorary degree.
Additional talent to be announced. The lineup, curated by Vulture’s editors, will include:
Billy Porter Receives Vulture’s Honorary Degree: Emmy, Grammy, 2-Time Tony winner and Fashion Icon’ Broadway icon and fashion legend Billy Porter needs no introduction, but we’ll do our best: As he already has a Grammy, a Tony, an Emmy, a Drama Desk Award, and a Golden Globe, we’re excited to add Vulture’s honorary degree to Porter’s fully laden awards shelf. We’ll sit down with him to look back at his 30-plus years of performance — from originating the role of Lola in Kinky Boots to crafting four studio albums, all while maintaining his energy as an activist for the LGBTQ+ community. Join us for a conversation (in which, in accordance with SAG-AFTRA rules, no TV or film projects will be discussed) with one of the industry’s most unforgettable artisans, and appreciate what it means to be in the presence of a legend.
Sharon Stone and Jerry Saltz Talk About Art: Sharon Stone’s name has long been synonymous with cinema, but now she’s branching out into a different visual medium: fine art. Experimentation that began in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic has blossomed into her first full exhibition, “Welcome to My Garden,” now on display at C. Parker Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut. To celebrate the beginning of this new era, Stone will sit with New York Magazine’s senior art critic, Jerry Saltz, to discuss her daily painting practice, the inspiration behind her work, and everything else they love about the world of ART!
Katie and Allison Crutchfield Sing the Songs They Loved at 16: Katie (Waxahatchee) and Allison Crutchfield are joined by comedy and music friends to talk about and perform their favorite songs from when they were 16 years old. Join us for an hour of story and song and a chance to consider whether we ever really stop being 16.
Gayotic With Muna and Special Guest Meg Stalter: Hi, Gay! Join us for an hour with the world’s greatest band and your favorite podcasters, Muna — like you’ve never heard them before. Comedian Meg Stalter will feature her signature vocal stylings alongside the group Vulture credits with providing us the most “pure hits of queer joy.” It — like life — will be so fun!
Comedians You Should and Will Know Whom You Can and Will See, Presented by RumChata: We’re doing a show with a whole batch of performers fresh off our annual “Comedians You Should and Will Know” list, so you can say you can and do know them! Hosted by list alum Jamie Loftus, this sells out every year, so get your tickets now and be pleasantly surprised when we announce our lineup.
A Special Advance Screening of Peacock’s Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain: Join us for this exclusive sneak peek of one of the most hotly anticipated comedies of the year featuring Please Don’t Destroy, Bowen Yang, Meg Stalter, X Mayo, and Conan O’Brien. Afterward, director Paul Briganti will join us for a very special chat!
An Intimate Evening With Adam Pally and Special Guest Casey Wilson: Adam Pally has a new live show that’s hard to describe, so who are we to try to describe it? We can promise music, comedy, and stories, and he will be joined by his friend and collaborator Casey Wilson and other special guests. This will definitely be Pally as you’ve never seen or heard him before.
Song Exploder Exploder: Every episode of Song Exploder breaks down a song into its components, allowing its listeners to better understand the creative process of making music. This event will break down Song Exploder itself to better understand the creative process of making a podcast about the creative process of making music. Song Exploder host/creator Hrishikesh Hirway will sit down with Vulture senior editor Jesse David Fox, whose Good One podcast does for comedian’s jokes what Song Exploder does for songs. It will be a celebration of deconstruction!
Robin Thede Tells Us How to Write Good Comedy: Being funny is hard. Writing funny — even harder! Luckily, professional Emmy-nominated writer Robin Thede is swooping in to help us learn the secret formula that makes for a successful Hollywood wordsmith. The creator of A Black Lady Sketch Show will give us insight into craft, process, and, of course, her inspirations.
A Slumber Party with Josie Totah: Put on your best PJs and join us for a conversation with actor, writer, producer, comedian and activist Josie Totah. Like any good slumber party, we’ll spill secrets, play games, and get up to no good—but unlike other slumber parties this one will last one hour. Sleepwear is optional, but it’s highly encouraged!
As previously announced, the weekend’s lineup will include:
Matt Rogers Holiday Spectacular Sing-a-Long Extravaganza (Album Version): Making his triumphant return to Vulture Festival for the second year in a row, Matt Rogers once again dares to ask the question “Have You Heard of Christmas?” As an early holiday-season treat, the Prince of Christmas himself will be comin’ to town to give you a small taste of what’s in store on his debut yuletide dance-pop album. He’ll be joined by some of his besties for an evening of caroling while sitting down, our very favorite kind.
The Winkler Method: A Henry Winkler Acting Class: Fresh off the publication of his memoir, Being Henry, Emmy Award winner Henry Winkler will join us for his fourth-annual acting class. Already a prolific author of children’s literature, in his newest work Winkler explores his own history of overcoming challenges like severe dyslexia and the pressures of a career in the spotlight on his path to creative fulfillment. Winkler will offer what he’s learned in his 50 years of practicing the craft of acting with the added insight of a seasoned producer, director, and proud SAG-AFTRA member. Come to learn, but stay to feel.
Feminist As F*ck: Amber Tamblyn hosts Vulture Festival’s celebration of Feminist As F*ck, an exciting and beloved literary series co-created and co-curated by Roxane Gay, showcasing some of the most daring feminist writers across genres today. Join Tamblyn and fellow writers for a riveting and powerful afternoon of performances aimed at filling you up with creative and political inspiration.
Weird Al Superlatives Live!: What’s your favorite Weird Al song? Everyone has one, even the man himself. This in-depth conversation with Grammy-winning musical artist “Weird Al” Yankovic will explore the stories behind tracks that Yankovic himself considers his most formative, most important, most challenging, most loved, and most whatever else of his decades-long career. So join us, little hungry ones, as we eat it — it being everything this comedy legend has to say.
TJ Mack Live in Concert and Conversation, Featuring His Wife and Brian Jordan Alvarez: Sitting is the opposite of standing, but you’re invited to do both at this concert and conversation with pop sensation TJ Mack. Joined by his wife — and a man named Brian Jordan Alvarez — Mack will perform a few of his original works while also exploring what makes him such a compelling cultural icon.
A Big Long Talk With Cord Jefferson: Emmy-winning writer of television masterpieces like The Good Place, Watchmen, and Succession, Cord Jefferson will join us for a long talk about his life and his new film, American Fiction. An adaptation of Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, the film satirizes the commodification of Black artists — in a directorial debut for Jefferson that was highly lauded following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. This will be a rare opportunity to hear from one of Hollywood’s most forward-thinking and prolific creative minds before you’re watching his Oscar acceptance speech on TV.
Tickets to Vulture Festival events start at $25. Tickets include access to the Lot at Nya Studios and one complimentary drink ticket. Follow @vulturefestival and @vulture for updates.
The festival is sponsored by Bulleit, Dice, Smartfood, Gold Peak, RumChata, Trolli, and Supergoop.
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