All photos by Stephanie Keith
Scenes from the 12th annual Bushwig, one of the world’s largest drag festivals
For two days, Bushwig celebrated community, protested harmful legislation and remembered one of their own
For two days over the weekend, queens, kings and all the in-betweens took over the sprawling Knockdown Center event space in Queens for the annual drag-stravaganza that is Bushwig.
But Bushwig, which just wrapped its 12th year, wasn’t always the one of the biggest drag events in the world. Back in 2011, there was a burgeoning avant-garde drag scene spearheaded by a small, tight-knit group of queers in Brooklyn. Headed by the queens Horrorchata and Babes Trust, who recently passed away, this group would change the art of drag forever — wresting it away from the prom queens and infusing it with a DIY punk ethos, a spirit of adventure and bathed in more fake blood than ever seen before.
Venus Mystique performs at Bushwig (Stephanie Keith)
“I do this event because I want to create a community and bring family together and it’s basically a family reunion,” said Horrorchata.
What started out as a small event to showcase their community in the now-defunct Secret Project Robot has evolved into a two-day bacchanal in Maspeth with more than 150 performers who also tour the world, with events in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Berlin. The event showcases both emerging and experienced drag talent from all over the United States and beyond. Look to Bushwig to find the next trends in queer nightlife.
A Bushwig attendee dresses the part (Stephanie Keith)
But even though Bushwig — “the Super Bowl of drag “ — has undeniably blown up over the years, it still remains very much of a community affair. Many of the performers, the emcees and DJs have come back year after year. Rify Royalty, a performer and emcee, has participated at Bushwig for the past nine years. Lady Quesa, another emcee, has been with Bushwig since the very beginning.
Jay Kay performs at Bushwig (Stephanie Keith)
“This year’s Bushwig festival was one for the books,” said Lana Ja’Rae, who had returned to perform for her second year. “Bushwig is like the Coachella concert of the drag community, but way better in so many different ways. You get to see a plethora of insanely talented drag artists from all over America, and when I tell you the amount of love in the room is unmatched…”
Lana Ja’Rae on stage (Stephanie Keith)
One of this year’s recurring themes was the legislative attacks against the LGBTQ+ and trans communities. One act, performed as Florida Man part of a California collective called Oaklash, focused on the right-wing backlash against drag queen story hours. On a set resembling a library, Florida Man winkingly opened a book titled “Cock, Pussy, Satan,” which was met with peals of laughter. Over the course of the act, Florida Man’s eyes would glaze over with the aid of white contact lenses, as they performed in front of a giant red and black spiral. Drag queen story time, the joke went, is a one-way ticket to hell.
Florida Man spoofs the right’s assumptions about drag story time (Stephanie Keith)
“This is the time for our community to come together and celebrate each other. And right now with everything that’s happening with us being attacked and our rights taken away, we need this community more than ever,” said Bushwig stage manager Jacob Hooker. “This is our community, and we put on an amazing show for people, so yeah. The drag community is accepting that of ourselves, that we don’t fit in, and we use that and manage to make new beautiful things.”
The Bad Judie have a chat on the sidelines (Stephanie Keith)
Other acts incorporated the trans flag or exhorted the crowd to protect trans people. One emcee, Esse Noche, reminded the audience that without a trans person of color (referring to Marsha P. Johnson), none of the event’s self-expression would be possible. “So, appreciate and protect trans people.”
A spectator enjoys a performance by Kat Wilderness at Bushwig (Stephanie Keith)
On a sadder note, the unexpected death of Bushwig co-founder Babes Trust just a few weeks earlier was felt and commemorated throughout the weekend. On both days, a short video honoring the larger-than-life Babes was screened, and several performers gave monologues.
Said performer Merrie Cherry as part of her own eulogy: “I felt true sisterhood with her.”
Here are a few more scenes from Bushwig 2023:
The Bushwig attendees were just as fabulous as the performers (Stephanie Keith)
Another Bushwig spectator (Stephanie Keith)
Kat Wilderness on stage (Stephanie Keith)
Fabiana Love in the role of Tolkien’s Gollum (Stephanie Keith)
A drag queen named Dawn performs (Stephanie Keith)
The Moon Baby on stage, to the delight of onlookers (Stephanie Keith)
A spectator dresses the part (Stephanie Keith)
