If you are a massive fan of RuPaul's Drag Race or drag in general, there are few greater events to attend than the annual DragCon. The event usually takes place in either New York or LA (and occasionally across the pond in the UK). I originally wasn't sure whether the convention would be worth flying all the way across the country for, but I turned it into a ten day trip as well as a visit to my good friend in LA, and I have no regrets at all.
Some of my guide here is LA specific, but most of it could be applied to a DragCon held in any city. I had a lot of questions of my own before going, so here are the things that I wanted to know:
Is a VIP pass worth it?
While most of the threads I found online said yes, the VIP pass would be worth it, I'm here to firmly disagree. I had debated VIP for months, as it was about $200 more for the weekend than a three day general admission pass, and by the time I decided to go for it, it was sold out. I'm honestly so thankful it was - it would have been a waste of money.
The main draw of VIP is expedited lines to meet queens, but contrary to what I had been told, most meet and greet lines were not long at all. I suppose if all of your favorite queens are recent big names, that might not be the case, but plenty of the queens I was there to meet were from older seasons or international franchises. The only queen I waited a long time for was the one queen I met from the most recent US season of the show (Maddy), and she was also allowing people to meet her for free which probably extended her times. Otherwise, it was 20 minutes or less for everyone I got photos with, and plenty had no lines at all. I've provided information further down under meet and greet costs for approximate line times of each queen I met.
Other VIP perks include a private bar area, designated platforms you can stand on for the performances, an hour earlier entry, and a goodie bag upon arrival. I can't speak for the VIP lounge, but for the viewing platforms, I preferred standing closer up on the floor anyway. The pink backpacks and merch that came with VIP were not appealing to me, and I didn't stay for the full hours any day that I went (nor was I on time for the last two days), so the early entry wouldn't have been of benefit either.
Should I go for all three days, or just one?
If you've traveled a long way to be at the Con, I would recommend a three day pass. If you're a local or have been to DragCon before, one day might be enough for you. I'm glad that I went for three as I had fun dressing up for each day, and I was able to space out meeting queens stress-free, but it is exhausting by the third day. If I had to recommend any day to be there, I would choose day 1, as the convention kicks off with a Queens' Parade where you get to see every attendee walk the pink carpet. I also thought the queens themselves seemed most energetic and best dressed on the first day.
Tea with Tia
What do I wear?
Whatever you want, but I'd encourage you to have fun with it. This is your excuse to go out in wigs and costumes and drag makeup. It's so enjoyable walking around and seeing what people have on. I saw some extremely elaborate drag outfits, some that veered more towards costumes (someone on stilts with a pumpkin head, for one), and some just glammed up.
Morgan Wells
Most attendees wear normal day clothes, so if you don't want to get dressed up, you don't have to, but I enjoyed it. I wore lashes for the first time in my life, wigs every day, and themed looks. (I wish I'd had more time in the morning to properly try out drag makeup, but getting ready in a hostel dorm was not ideal.)
This Rita Repulsa drag by Isadora Spreads was everything
One thing that is a must, however, are comfortable shoes. Don't wear heels, and know that you are going to be on your feet all day on a concrete floor doing plenty of walking. I wore boots the first two days and sandals the last, and I was still in pain at the end of each day.
How many queens can I meet in a day, and how much will that cost?
The particular con (LA 2022) that I attended had about a hundred queens, so with people spread out, lines were nothing like what I'd been led to believe. I got through most on an average of ten minutes.
Wait times listed are approximate, but on day 1, I met Latrice Royale (15 minutes, minimum merch purchase $10), Yara Sofia (no line, $10/photo), Jimbo (20 minute wait, $50 min purchase), Tia Kofi (5-10 minute wait, $30 purchase), Brita (no line, absolutely free, such a sweetheart), and Tayce (5-10 minute wait, $30 min purchase).
Yara insisted we grab the titties ("Harder!")
Jimbo was delightful
Day 2 I met Pangina Heals (10 minute wait, any purchase), Manila Luzon (15 minute wait, $50 min purchase but my absolute Drag Race crush so worth it), Vander von Odd and Biqtch Puddin from Dragula (10 minute wait, $20 purchase), back to Yara Sofia (still no line, had upped her fee to $10/photo PLUS $25 purchase), and Jessica Wild (5 minute wait, $10 purchase).
My Dragula supermonsters
Manila Luzon is my new girlfriend
Day 3 I met Jujubee (15 minute wait, something like a $35 purchase, but with some queens - Juju, Yara - you could share your photo with a friend and split the merch costs), Lemon (10 minute wait, totally free), Maddy Morphosis (this was the long half hour+ wait, she was taking photos for free though and is an absolute rockstar), Ongina (no line, $20 purchase), and Adriana (no line, $10 purchase).
Obsessed with Juju's cat booth
Maddy and I bonded over wearing flats for the last day
You can also meet queens just hanging out on the floor. We ran into Love Massisi in the bathroom, and I found Louisianna Purchase at a booth, and both were lovely and happy to take photos. I also saw Aquaria walking around taking photos with anyone who stopped her, witnessed plenty of up-close queen interactions (Symone came to Tayce's booth while I was in line, Adore and Gottmik were at Tia's while I was there, Tempest Dujour was talking to fans on the floor), was able to chat with Morgan McMichaels for a minute passing by her booth, and had Bob the Drag Queen brush by me incognito while I was in Maddy's line. Everyone seems very accessible.
The three Dragula girls I met were so amazing - Louisianna was a doll
Tayce is just as hot in person (also surprise Symone sighting)
The issue isn't so much time management as money. I made sure to go to any booths I heard were free (check Reddit threads or ask whoever is running the booths), but I had to debate on who else I could afford and prioritize that way. Manila and Jimbo were two of the most expensive, but since they're two of my favorites, I went for it - it helped that they had good merch. Raja was the absolute most ridiculous at $75 for JUST a photo, not even getting you any merch, so I couldn't justify that (she looked fab though). I enjoyed collecting prints and some of the cooler merchandise anyway, so usually a minimum spend wasn't bad since I'd come out of it with a signed photo, a shirt, a cat fan, or a delicious Latrice Royale candy bar.
Are there food and drinks?
There are, but the food is overpriced and not substantial. I'd eat before and after instead, and bring a snack for the middle of the day if you'll need one. There's basic coffee in the cafeteria, and there are drink stands around the convention center, although the line for alcohol was longer than for most queens. They sell House of Love premade cocktails that are all $12 a can but vary in alcohol content - the highest ABV (tangerine margarita at 12%) sadly sold out by day 3.
What can I bring in?
There's a security check at the entrance (and a vaccine card check for the 2022 con), but you'll find a list of allowed items on the convention website. I had no issue bringing my DSLR camera and GoPro, and you're allowed a sealed bottle of water. Mini backpacks are fine, and I assume larger ones as well since the VIPs all had them from their goodie bag. It might be a good idea to help carry whatever merch you buy throughout the day.
What else is there to do at the convention?
Aside from meeting the queens and people watching/queen spotting on the floor, there is plenty to fill your day. You could easily hang out at the main stage from open to close - most of the queens have performance slots over the weekend, so you can see your favorites doing what they do best. I made sure to get up there for Jimbo's baloney ghost, but I also caught a ton of queens I enjoy purely by accident as I happened to walk by during their stage time.
There's also a panel schedule if you want to attend Q&As for various queens (usually grouped by seasons), merch booths all around the convention center for shopping, photo op areas, and fun promo booths for non-DR queens or things like nightclubs or upcoming movies. Another unexpectedly cool surprise was RuPaul himself DJing the main stage on Friday during my con. We got to dance on stage right in front of him.
Where should I stay?
I do recommend staying downtown near the convention center if possible. We had to book last minute accommodation (my friend who was meant to host had tested positive for Covid) and ended up in a 6 bed dorm at Freehand LA. This was the perfect hostel for us though - a 20 minute walk to the convention, right around the corner from the drag show we attended on night one, near plenty of other clubs, and had a rooftop pool and bar. If you choose not to stay downtown, I would say to stay in West Hollywood where many of the other drag show afterparties will be taking place.
What about after parties?
YES! The afterparties were worth the trip as much as the convention! Every night there were multiple events going on with big name queens headlining. It was almost hard to decide where to go. I'd booked tickets to a big show at the Globe on night 1 hosted by Ongina and Morgan McMichaels with an absolutely stacked lineup.
Seeing Vander perform twice in one weekend (and meeting her on top of that) was just an absolute highlight. My favorite drag artist I've ever seen live.
Night 2 I badly regret not going out, but we were too exhausted after the con to even leave our beds for dinner. Night 3 was an amazing closing party at Precinct with a more alternative lineup, as well as tons of queens out of drag who just showed up to hang in the crowd.
Bosco
Monday night had a ton going on, and I again regret not going out because there were multiple amazing shows in WeHo. We were even able to find a smaller show for Pandora's birthday on Tuesday at Precinct before we left and met her and Kelly Mantle. Pay attention at the convention for shows being advertised, or just browse around the sites and pages for the big gay bars in town to see what's happening.
After the convention is over, you might as well make a trip of it. I took ten days total off, and we spent extra time in LA doing a Venice to Santa Monica beach walk and a Universal Studios day (totally saw Pangina out of drag in line on the same ride too). We then took a bus to San Diego for two more days of vacation before flying home.
So if you're torn on attending the con, I can assure you that it's a fantastic time and well worth building a trip around. Between the multitude of shows, gathering of top queens from around the world, and atmosphere of the community, if you truly love drag, there's no better place to be.
Comments