Harmony Hardcore, New York City's Miss Subways 2023 (Scott Lynch)
Harmony Hardcore crowned Miss Subways 2023
The 7-train enthusiast from Queens took home top honors (and the Transit Tiara) for City Reliquary's pageant in Coney Island on Friday
After a three-year hiatus due to Covid, the City Reliquary crowned a new Miss Subways on Friday night. Decked out in 7-train purple, the hula hooping Harmony Hardcore took top honors at the rowdy pageant, which was staged at Coney Island USA’s Sideshows by the Seaside Theater.
Her prize, the “Transit Tiara,” fittingly spelled out the word “DELAYED” in subway-style lettering. She may have won the night, but are there ever really any losers when a bunch of subway enthusiasts strut their burlesque best before a packed house on a rainy night out on Coney Island? No there are not.
Miss Subways 2023, Harmony Hardcore (Scott Lynch)
Ten contestants, each representing a different subway line, were whittled down to six after an opening round judged by a celebrity jury that included “art star and elf” Reverend Jen Miller, the city’s “unofficial talent scout” Nicholas Heller (better known as New York Nico), performance artist and Miss Subways 2017 Lisa Levy, podcaster Greg Young of Bowery Boys renown, and Instagram superstar Maxine the Fluffy Corgi. It’s unclear what the pooch actually contributed to the judging discourse, but she was cute.
The talent round of the night (songs, poems, dances, and more) reduced the number of entrants to three. After the remaining trio answered a few softball questions from the judges, Harmony was crowned the winner.
Miz E with a Z!, Miss Congeniality co-winner (Scott Lynch)
“We were looking for somebody who personifies the essence of the subways,” Levy told Brooklyn Magazine. “Beautiful or horrifying or both,” clarified Reverend Miller.
Runner-up Chantelle, who repped the B line, rocked a killer shimmy and delivered a dead-on impression of the sigh the subway makes when the power shuts down and you know you’re not moving for a while. Lena Horné of the G/L Metropolitan/Lorimer station performed a pair of exuberant song-and-dance routines.
Miss Subways first runner-up Lena Horné (Scott Lynch)
Chihuahua mutt Angelina Bowie Waggytail was the first-ever canine contestant, which also might explain why she failed to make it past the first round (despite being cute).
NYC tour guide Meghan Sara represented the E line (Scott Lynch)
Other entrants included E-liner and city tour guide Meghan Sara, Brooklyn-born poet Ketriana Yvonne, and rockstar Annie Young, who gave herself an alarming on-stage haircut.
Annie Young, who gave herself a haircut on stage (Scott Lynch)
Robbed, in this reporter’s opinion, was lifelong New Yorker Mx. Mad Scientress, who somehow didn’t even make it past the first round despite boasting intimidating Doc-Ock arms, an MTSlay lab coat and a mini R-train haunted by a giant shark.
Mx. Mad Scientress and her Doc Ock arms (Scott Lynch)
Miss Subways was a ticketed event, with proceeds going to support the City Reliquary and Coney Island USA. The original Miss Subways contest ran from 1941 to 1976 and, although a traditional beauty pageant in many respects, was the country’s first racially integrated event of its kind. The City Reliquary revived the competition in 2017, opening up the stage to all gender identities and, in the case of Bowie Waggytail, species.
Angelina Bowie Waggytail, the contest’s first-ever canine competitor (Scott Lynch)
