Courtesy of Teen Vogue
Thousands of people wearing bright colors and glitter could be seen from blocks away waiting to get inside of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. RuPaul’s DragCon NYC took place Sept. 6-8, 2019, and brought together drag enthusiasts from all over the world. The three-day event featured over 150 of the world’s top drag queens, many of whom appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Some of the queens in attendance included Nina West, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Shuga Cain, Scarlet Envy, Ongina, Acid Betty, Trinity The Tuck, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and Gia Gunn. The queens had booths set up around the convention center, where fans could purchase merchandise in exchange for a meet and greet. Sponsors and vendors had booths set up along the convention floor, giving out free samples, makeovers and more. Some sponsors of RuPaul’s DragCon NYC included Wet n Wild, Chaz Dean’s Wen and Pop Beauty.
There was also a wide variety of booths containing makeup, wigs, glitter and jewelry for purchase, all elements that create the ideal drag look. To kick off the first day of the convention, Trixie Mattel did an exclusive performance for VIP ticket holders on the TikTok main stage where she covered RuPaul’s hit song “Kitty Girl” and Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda.”
In addition to performances and meet and greets, attendees could attend panels sponsored by Audible which featured the queens, Broadway actors, comedians and more. On Friday there was a “Disney on Broadway” panel featuring Broadway stars Alyssa Fox, Bradley Gibson, Noah J. Ricketts and Michael James Scott. The panel discussed wigs, costumes and cosmetics in Broadway’s “Aladdin,” “Frozen” and “The Lion King.”
The convention was open to all ages and had a kids zone where children were free to play and participate in ‘Drag Queen Story Hour,’ with appearances by Paradise, Miz Jade, Cholula Lemon, Annie Manildoo, Bella Noche and Ona Lousie. On Saturday morning, attendees gathered along the pink carpet to watch queens strut down the runway and showcase their looks the ‘Queens Mainstage Walk.’ Mattel was spotted riding down the pink carpet on a coin-operated mechanical lipstick promoting Trixie Cosmetics.
One of the Saturday panels was hosted by “Mean Girls” star Daniel Franzese, who brought his stand-up showcase “Danny Franzese and the House of Glen Coco” to life alongside guest panelists West, Pandora Boxx, Matteo Lane and Nicky Paris. Attendees also had the chance to take over the main stage by participating in the ‘Cosplay For Your Life’ competition, where competitors were asked to create the best drag queen cosplay.
RuPaul made an appearance when he hosted RuTalks with fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg and comedian Whoopi Goldberg.
During the weekend, RuPaul made two major announcements about DragCon UK, which will be taking place in London in 2020, and the debut of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live,” which is coming to the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in January 2020. The show is set to be produced by World of Wonder and Voss Events, directed by RuPaul and Jamal Sims. Tickets for RuPaul’s DragCon UK are now available online and the series is set to premiere in the US on Oct. 3.
