Fan conventions have been a major part in the world of entertainment as events like San Diego ComicCon have allowed fans to get up close and personal with some of their favorite stars, fandoms, and like-minded individuals. Since 2015, RuPaul’s DragCon has done the same for the Drag Race fandom and, specifically, the LGBTQ+ community. RuPaul’s Drag Race has expanded the globe, fans and queens have been flocking to Los Angeles to celebrate the art of drag and the queer spirit. I have been covering DragCon since 2018, when they still had a NYC convention. It’s been a defining part of my life and my career. As time has gone on, I’ve been able to see how vast this community has grown and why it is such an important part of our community. I’ve interviewed hundreds of queens who have graced the screen in countless iterations of the show. And yet, being back at DragCon LA 2024, the spirit is still alive and well.
RuPaul’s DragCon is essential to the community, and the people who make it happen are truly the backbone of this event. Between being a safe space and celebrating the camaraderie of a community, DragCon is one of the most important events for the queer community. This year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Drag Race queens from around the globe, vendors, guests, and more. I attended the amazing performances during the After Parties, featuring the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 and the international queens. I was present for the ribbon cutting and the legendary Queen’s Walk on the Pink Carpet. There is simply nothing like RuPaul’s DragCon.
How It All Started
RuPaul’s DragCon has essentially been dubbed the Met Gala of Drag. It is the single largest event that celebrates the world of drag. The drag and pop culture extravaganza brings all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent of tens of thousands of attendees, including drag artists, fans, vendors, and more. Since the event first debuted, it expanded to conventions in New York City and London. Queens spanning every franchise of the program attend to meet the fans they may not get to meet otherwise. What started as a celebration of the art of drag has expanded to panels and live tapings of WOW Presents Plus programs. And even mother herself, RuPaul, spent time DJing for the fans and taking photos with them in an exclusive meet and greet. And yet, what makes RuPaul’s DragCon important is the celebration of love. Can I get an amen?
RuPaul’s DragCon wouldn’t be what it is today had it not been for Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. They are the brilliant minds behind World of Wonder, the production company that brought the world RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s DragCon, among many other brilliant features, shows, and more. Having the great pleasure of speaking to them both, we began our chat as they acknowledged my custom t-shirt honoring every franchise of the series. From there, it was my chance to say thank you to the men who have saved countless lives. And they know it. They know why DragCon is important for us all. Randy explicitly states, “The number one reason why DragCon is important for the community is to bring the community together. It really is about connecting the queens with one another. Connecting the fans with the queens. Connecting the fans with each other. Especially now. Drag queens are the global freedom fighters.” Fenton riffed off this saying, “The camaraderie really sets the place alive. This DragCon especially, with more queens than ever before, you get that extra sort of buzz and kick.”
With the international franchises, Drag Race showcases how queer art and culture come together, representing their community. But they’re not necessarily surprised at the impact that the global series has made. “It is refreshing knowing all of these countries all around the world, there is an audience. They are starving for this kind of talent. It’s super rewarding and makes us feel that we’re at the tip of the iceberg of this talent pool and audience that can continue to grow,” said Randy. “When Ru came up with doing it, there was a fundamental act of incredible generosity, in the sense that RuPaul’s a great drag queen, and also wanted to provide a platform for other queens,” Fenton says. “Out of that, there is a fundamental generosity around the planet because drag is different in every country and every culture. There is a desire to be free, to be respected, to be celebrated rather than persecuted, marginalized, excluded.”
Drag Artists Share Why DragCon Is Important To Them
While many fans come to DragCon to meet the stars they see on screen, for many drag artists of their local market, DragCon is their opportunity to be seen. They come serving a fabulous look in hopes of finding that one person who sees them and wants to know who they are. You never know who might be the next star of RuPaul’s Drag Race! For Washington, D.C. queen Cake Pop, this was their fifth or sixth time attending DragCon. For them, DragCon is important for the community because “a lot of us drag entertainers know each other online. There is obviously a place for fans of Ru Girls and stuff, but more than that, I get to connect with a lot of entertainers from across the country that I only typically see on Instagram.” They continued, “You never know who is a local girl who is going to become a Ru Girl one day. You should support all the talent, regardless of the platform they are on. Back in 2019 at DragCon NYC, I saw a queen wearing this stunning Union Jack leotard with a fabulous royal crown. I stopped her for a photo. She was visiting from San Francisco, but she sported a British accent, as she introduced herself as Lady Camden. Lady Camden ended up appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2022, becoming the runner-up on Season 14. You literally know when you might see the future of drag before their brush with stardom.
Beyond RuPaul’s Drag Race, artists from other drag competition reality programs, like Camp Wannakiki or Dragula, get their opportunity to celebrate their respective series at DragCon. Such is the case for Camp Wannakiki’s very own Patty Bourrèe. The OUTtv series is currently in its sixth season, in which Patty currently appears. Even as a star in her own right, Patty felt a little intimidated by seeing all of the amazing drag as she sported her Camp Wannakiki t-shirt dress. She said, “It’s also super inspiring to see all of the amazing goods and services on sale. To see the highest quality drag performers walking around. It’s amazing to see.”
For highly decorated drag queen Amanda Porq, hailing from the greatest drag city in the world, New York City, she says, “I think it’s great that people get to see all kinds of diversity. They get to support local businesses, small businesses.” Amanda journeyed to Los Angeles to work at a booth again this year, supporting said small businesses owned by drag artists, Acacia Forgot’s Forgots Locks and Austie’s Austie Cosmetics. Beyond that, she knows that being a drag queen in the local scene, who also survives by designing jewelry and costumes, is competitive. With Drag Race, she knows that they are pushed to constantly look their best, but she notes that it’s good for entertainers to always be pushing themselves. By bringing together Ru girls and local artists, it’s also a reminder, that should they have access to it, to support local drag in their own city. But what should Drag Race fans do when they see local drag artists? Amanda says, “Don’t touch anybody. Consent is very important.” And that’s even implemented at DragCon as well. Please always ask for a photo!
DragCon Celebrates Small Businesses Of All Varieties
With many types of goods and services being sold at DragCon, individuals beyond the world of drag have the opportunity to share their art and how it ties into the greater queer artistic community. Such is the case for Chanteuse Shades, owned by Kiki la Chanteuse, a San Francisco-based burlesque performer. With bespoke hand-encrusted sunglasses, water bottles, and jackets. Her tagline is, “Where we wear rhinestones to blind our haters.” For Kiki, this event is important because, “The camaraderie of coming together with like-minded individuals in a space that makes you feel safe at your most amazing self, in a time where it can be really volatile. Having this many people not only come from all over the country, but all over the world, under one umbrella of equality, uniqueness, and fabulousness, everybody is welcome if you are feeling you want to be in this community.” Assisting her at her booth was Ifn Whendy, another burlesque artist and emcee. She believes, “Seeing folks here who are able to emerge a little bit and bring their most authentic selves, it’s not just glamour girl drag. It’s the weirdest, most freaksome, and you know if you were allowed like that, you’re going to find your fam. You’re going to make your new friends who are like that is exactly my type.”
Madam Adam is a celebrated tarot reader who boasts a fantastic 310K followers on Instagram. He decided that it was the right time to set up shop at DragCon, with this year’s event being his first time there. As he puts it, “It’s sensory overload!” With infectious energy, he shared that kindness has spread across the convention floor. “I read tarot. And tarot is something that transcends across many medias, cultures, and groups. I do this at various events, horror cons and anime cons and comic book conventions, but there is something unique about a queer space like this. It’s open for not just camaraderie, but growth. I think that is what a lot of vendors and people here exhibiting are promoting a wellness. It feels so unique and so safe because you don’t just get your photo, you get a moment of wellness.”
Queer Organizations Are At the Forefront of Change
Beyond the vendors, many local and national organizations come to DragCon to bring awareness via an event of visibility. Such is the case of TransLatin@ Coalition. It is an organization that assists transgender people, gender nonconforming, and intersex people in the LA County community to assist with any needs they may have. The organization is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary and was eager to share how people could help, including donating and offering college students an internship. But for everyone, attending one of their rallies and being an advocate is the easiest way to support them. Speaking with Alexandra, one of the organization’s members, they shared this event’s importance because, “A lot of TGI folks discover their identity through drag. As was my case. I’m an intersex person, but I also identify as trans. But before that, I started doing drag. A lot of us find ourselves in that transformation, and part of that is drag.”
One of the most visible organizations to continue to be at the forefront of the fight for equality is The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Promulgating universal joy and expiating stigmatic guilt, the San Francisco chapter has been advocates for the community since 1979. And their presence at DragCon is quite palpable. As they share, they “give voice to those whose voices can’t be heard using our theatricality and always with absurd humor and joy.” Being present at DragCon, Sister Kay shares it’s important because “it gets them in touch with the community at large. There is so much more depth and nuance to what constitutes the LGBTQ+ community that needs to be explored, needs to be appreciated, and needs to be supported.” Sister Unity says, “It’s also a lighthouse. A metaphor in my view. If we here are safe in LA, which is very flashy, can do this kind of an event, that sends a beam of light out into places that don’t have these resources, don’t have a level of queerness that saturates the community enough to provide acceptance. It says, there is a place, there is room in the world to be who you are, exactly as you.” The weirdos have a place in society, and DragCon celebrates it.
DragCon Is A Safe Space
DragCon has emerged as a celebration of queer joy. It’s united a community that needs a safe space. But it’s also become a venue that welcomes families. Amanda Porq, our queen from New York, noted, “It’s all about having fun. Kids are here. We’re fighting for kids to see queer joy in such an open space.” DragCon sports a kids area where they can listen to stories being read by drag artists, as well as meet the iconic Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake.
Next year is the ten-year anniversary of DragCon. Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey know they have to do something big. “This year was really exciting because we’re producing five different shows for WOW Presents Plus here on the floor. It’s exciting for us because it creates more opportunities. A lot of this is about creating as many opportunities as possible for the queens and create a kind of marketplace for the queens. Everyone buys something from a queen. They work hard. And it’s expensive. It’s expensive for all the queens to come from all around the world to come. I think the goal for next year is to make it bigger and bigger and bigger. And to get people to understand they need to do their Christmas shopping at DragCon. You need to support the queens. Bring a big empty bag and a lot of cash,” says Randy. Fenton adds, “Also, next year, we need to be sure we’re protecting freedom and democracy. All those political systems allow people to feel safe, to feel valued and recognized and included. It’s a weird thing where we’re at this point global where there’s this huge lean to the right. And this desire to extinguish those voices, and silence those voices. The most important thing ten years in is to not be silent. Keep flying our flag.”
For many, drag is inherently political. DragCon is an event where a community comes to celebrate individuality and uniqueness, but in a way, it’s also a message that, just like Pride events globally, we will unite and we will be seen. We will unite and we will be heard. We will unite and we will be unafraid of the what-ifs. At DragCon LA 2023, there were protesters stationed outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center who felt it was their duty to intimidate the people who wanted to express their joy for this community. This year, those people were MIA. That is the power that RuPaul’s DragCon has. No one will ever intimidate us and make us hide. This event is important. Sure, your bank accounts may be drained by the end of the weekend, but the statement, the memories, the individuals that you meet make the experience what it is. RuPaul’s DragCon is 100% pure love.
RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars can be streamed on Paramount+ in America and WOW Presents Plus globally.