Midsumma Festival: Hot & Heavy
28 January 2026 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm AEDT

The Ironing Maidens are a Gimuy/Cairns-based multi-arts duo whose practice draws on queer feminist and posthuman ideas. Blending electronic music, projection, movement, humour, and live performance, they create works that reimagine domestic life and open space for playful, critical futures. Having toured nationally and internationally for more than a decade—across festivals, performance events, and even laundromats—they continue to push the boundaries of electronic performance art.
Their latest work, Hot & Heavy, is an immersive mix of installation, performance, and dance-floor uprising. It imagines non-binary, post-extractive futures through hacked appliances, speculative storytelling, and sensory-rich environments. Audiences move through projected interiors, live electronic music, aerial performance, and an iconic “ironing board band,” blurring the line between performer and spectator. Described as a call to action and a cross-generational wake-up, Hot & Heavy turns the everyday into a site of protest, pleasure, and collective transformation.
Related Events
25 in 25
Guide to Australian Composers
Explore the guide and listen to our 25 in 25 playlist of Australia’s favourite art music.
Season Preview
Explore the 2026 season
Our specialist writers analyse this year’s offerings in theatres and concert halls.
What’s On
Explore the online calendar
Find out what’s happening this week and add your own events to our free online calendar.
Limelight+
Dual Subscriptions
Substantial discounts when you subscribe to Limelight and a partner arts organisation.


