Fans from locations as far as Australia, Spain, and Japan descended on the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend for what must surely rank among the most unconventional of conventions: RuPaul’s DragCon, a three-day camp extravaganza, celebrating all things drag. Now in its fifth year, the event drew a diverse crowd that ran the gamut of age, race, and gender, all of whom turned out to kiki with Drag Race stars such as Sharon Needles, Adore Delano, Trinity The Tuck, Nina West, Brooke Lynn Hytes, and Silky Nutmeg Ganache.
Saturday kicked off with the Crowned Queens Walk, which saw All Stars winners make the grandest of entrances as Trixie Mattel was pushed down the pink carpet astride a coin-operated mechanical lipstick kiddie ride and Alaska sashayed the length of the hall in an animal-print gown accompanied by a coordinated leap of leopards. Season 11 favorite-to-win Yvie Oddly chose to backflip her way down the carpet to the delight of screaming fans.
In between a packed schedule of panels, podcasts, and performances, attendees shopped stands selling drag queen essentials including glamazon-size costume jewelry, travel-friendly wigs, vegan boas, and giant pots of glitter. As for the queens themselves, outfits, hair, and makeup had been storyboarded to within an inch of their lives, referencing everything from Natalie Portman’s Avengers: Endgame premiere red carpet look (Femminem), to Belle from Beauty and the Beast (Plastique Tiara), to Hajime Sorayama–style cyborgs (Aquaria). And while the theme was largely “more is more then add one more accessory,” there were exceptions. The Brooklyn-based HaraJuku stood firmly in the less-is-more camp, sporting nothing except a duct tape tuck and a cape for modesty.
In the spirit of the reality competition’s challenges, meet-and-greet exhibitor booths had also been given extreme drag makeovers. Latrice Royale received fans sitting on a glam USS Enterprise–style galactic throne; Milk had installed a mini ice rink in tribute to her youth spent as a competitive figure skater; Peppermint served up milkshakes to fans in a ’50s-era diner, and Miss Vanjie held court in a blood red laundromat. Unlike the show, however, there were no winners or losers at DragCon; instead, it was all about the taking part. “What is so great about this event is that within these walls, everybody can unapologetically be themselves,” said Milk. “They don’t need to worry about name calling or being beat up. All weekend is about love, acceptance, freedom.”
