100+ of Your Fave Drag Queens Are Putting on a Pride Festival

Hosted by Marti Gould Cummings, the virtual event is promising three days of performances.

Mikelle Street

Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.

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Mikelle Street

May 20 2020 9:59 AM EST

May 31 2023 4:21 PM EST

MikelleStreet

A week before Global Pride, NYC Pride, and Stonewall Day put on their digital events, over 100 drag performers are staging their own virtual estival. Welcome to "Pride 2020 Drag Fest: A Weekend to Support Our Queens."

Pride has consistently been one of the busiest moments of the years for drag performers. The bookings go up, and with the rising corporatization of the event, checks get bigger. But all of that is set to take a major hit with the pandemic. So New York City drag staple, and New York City Council candidate Marti Gould Cummings is hosting this new effort to support queens including RuPaul's Drag Race Stars like Jan Sport, Heidi N. Closet, Nicky, Doll, Shuga Cain, Milk, and more, as well as other local performers that weren't on the show.

"Since before Stonewall our drag community and our trans community have rallied to stand up and fight for equality and justice," Cummings said in a release. "As we grapple with the new normal of our daily lives we must continue in the footsteps and carry on the spirit of Pride. We may not be able to meet in person this year but Pride will live on as we gather digitally to celebrate our drag community and honor the legacy of Masha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the activism that so many LGBTQ icons ushered in."

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The festival will stream on both the NYC Pride and GLAAD Facebook pages from 6:30 p.m to 8 p.m. on June 19, 20, and 21. Viewers will be able to tip performers through Venmo and other donation platforms.

"You cannot have Pride without a little (or a lot) of drag," Shawn Kobetz, Partnerships Manager at NYC Pride, said. "This performance of gender expression has been a staple of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout its history, bringing with it a sense of vibrancy and power that can be felt at every NYC Pride event. We at NYC Pride are proud to stand with our drag friends and family from around the world during these trying times. We hope this event provides much-needed support and entertainment for our community."

Other talent to be included include Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Merrie Cherry, Bootsie Lefaris, Rify Royalty, Pissi Myles, and more. Myles notably made headlines when she turned up at Trump's impeachment hearings in full drag. Boylesque performer Jake DuPree, who also recently made headlines as the focal point of homophobic backlash on Instagram, will also make an appearance.