Fredathon, a 10-hour music marathon dedicated to the British rock band Queen and its late lead singer Freddie Mercury, will return to Peterborough for its second year.
Taking place at Dreams of Beans at 141 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough from noon until around 10 p.m. on Saturday, September 5 and online, the event will raise funds for Rainbow Railroad.
“Growing up on Freddie and Queen’s music, I was struck by how creatively fearless they were and how much ridiculous joy is packed into every song,” said organizer and performer Taylor Abrahamse.
Abrahamse is an award-winning songwriter and TV actor and host based in Peterborough and is Fredathon’s organizer and lead performer.
During Fredathon, which will also be livestreamed, Abrahamse and musicians from around the world will perform songs by Queen and Mercury, with both live and pre-recorded performances.
This year’s Fredathon aims to raise $5,000 for Rainbow Railroad, a registered charity in Canada and the U.S. that helps at-risk queer people escape violence.
VIDEO: Fredathon – Queen Music For Queer Rights
In a recent interview with kawarthaNOW, Abrahamse spoke about her inspiration for Fredathon and the importance of supporting LGBTQ2S+ rights worldwide.
“In my twenties, I started putting together little community initiatives just to have people connect,” she said. “We live in such a strangely isolated world and I was always inspired by interrupting that.”
After spending nearly eight years running the professional recording studio Silverthorn Studios in Toronto, Abrahamse moved back to her hometown of Peterborough and purchased a home and a recording studio.
Now that she is living and working steadily and successfully in Peterborough, Abrahamse said, she felt the desire to give back to her community.
“Few things are more empowering and dissolve division and bigotry faster than a Queen song, so making Fredathon was a natural extension of the world I want to see as a trans woman.”
“When everyone is truly safe to be who they really are, that’s when this whole being human thing will get really interesting,” Abrahmse added. “I think life will have a chance to be heaven for everyone — like Freddie sang about. And if you think that’s corny, that’s on you.”
As for the beneficiary of the concert, Rainbow Railroad’s work focuses on six core program areas: international travel and resettlement, communities of care, cash assistance, grassroots mobilization and crisis response, information services and referrals, and advocacy and systemic change.
“Rainbow Railroad helps queer people in at-risk situations escape violence,” Abrahamse explained.
“That could be a trans kid with abusive parents who don’t understand. That could be someone in a country facing penalty of death. That could be anyone in a dangerous situation. And I want to support the people who need it the most.”
Rainbow Railroad was founded in 2006 and received Canadian charitable status in 2013. The organization has supported over 45,000 people including over 2500 individuals being relocated to safety.
A portion of Fredathon funds will also be invested in mutual aid efforts supporting a local at-risk transgender individual.
Abrahamse told kawarthaNOW that her experience as a trans woman influenced her decision to create Fredathon as a safe space for people of all identities.
“I hope that we can keep doing this year by year and building it ever so slowly into something that makes a real impact, because no queer person, no trans person deserves to be suffering just because of who they are,” she said.
“It’s also a way to help queer and trans people have a voice when maybe they haven’t before.”
Furthermore, Abrahamse said that she has experienced hostility and bigotry in Peterborough when organizing events such as Fredathon, including having posters torn down and damaged.
Despite these experiences, Abrahamse is proud to host Fredathon and support queer and trans people in Peterborough and across the world.
“After 20 plus years of ignoring those feelings, I’m glad I’m doing it,” she said. ” I’ve found more community and connection in the last couple years since starting to accept this about myself than in years prior.”
Fredathon will take place in-person at Dreams of Beans for an admission price of $10 ($5 for students and arts workers) and will also be streamed online at www.fredathon.com, where advance tickets can be purchased.
In addition to lead performances by Abrahamse, the 2026 lineup so far includes Ron Sexsmith, Flamy Grant, Ryan Cassata, Royal Wood, Feura, Carling Stephen, Chris Birkett, and Susan Werner.
“I just put the offer out there to anyone in the world who wanted to contribute a song or two. Some of them are friends that I’ve made, others musicians (I’ve met) while touring around the world,” said Abrahamse.
Performers who wish to participate in Fredathon, including by submitting pre-recorded songs by August 31, can find instructions at www.fredathon.com.
