RuPaul’s DragCon UK, review, Olympia London, January 18-19

I remember vividly back in December 2018, when the announcement was made that RuPaul’s Drag Race was coming to the UK. There had been speculations and rumours for years about where the hit US season might go next, after a successful decade of shows produced by World of Wonder (WoW).

Social media, the press, the LGBTQIA+ community particularly, they all went mad. And I mean… Mad. Fans were elated that the world-leading show will finally be ‘hopping over the pond’ as RuPaul says, providing the opportunity for some of Britain’s greatest drag talent to compete among the other 100+ queens that have walked through the doors of the show already.

From then, we jump to spring 2019, where it is announced that Alan Carr, Graham Norton and other popular English figures such as Cheryl Cole and MNEK will be joining the panel of judges and guests. Fast forward again, and we’re at Manchester Pride 2019 and the queens are formally announced at the city’s popular Pride event.

The journey that has followed since this point has been a wild one, to say the least. The show was immediately praised as the most successful series for years (and some say, ever). It represented comedy, fashion, theatre, conceptual, gender-bending and dancers, all keen to show their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to RuPaul. The show was branded a “runaway success” by BBC Three producers, which in November 2019 had received more than 6,500,000 plays on BBC Three’s iPlayer channel (its distribution method).

Now, in January 2020, and the UK’s first ever DragCon has landed at Olympia. Established in 2015 in Los Angeles, then expanding to New York, this is the first time the WoW production has left the states.

Yes, I must address, the Saturday was extremely busy, and some fans were left frustrated with the queues around the venue. However, WoW released an official statement apologising, offering validation of Sunday tickets or a full refund instead. Everybody should expect an event of this scale is bound to have queues; it’s an enormously popular occasion. So, arrive early, be patient, and be kind to each other. Moving on…

The overwhelming factor of the entire weekend was the diversity of the crowds. Walking around the venue for two days, I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see such a colourful and vibrant group of people all sharing what they love. There were all styles of drag; conceptual, high-fashion, gender-bending, and the list goes on. There were families, mid 20s, 30s, 60s, groups, individuals, quite literally every walk of life that could be placed in Olympia’s main hall, was. And it was beautiful.

Featured on the line-up across the weekend were live panels featuring social media star Sophie Anderson, make-up tutorials by Blu Hydrangea, live comedy performances from Baga Chipz and reigning Queen The Vivienne (showcasing their Trump & Thatcher sketch) and many more special guests including actress Vanessa Williams, Bake Off heart-throb Michael Chakraverty and international drag DJ Jodie Harsh. Fans could attend panels, see live shows at the main stage and even directly meet and interact with the talent at personalised booths.

The element that was so heart-warming though, was the love and support in the room. DragCon UK was a true celebration of diversity, difference and being unashamedly bold. Although of course a large basis of Drag Race fans typically are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, there was a whole manner of individuals present over the weekend. Among the crowds for the main stage performances such as The Frock Destroyers or The Vivienne, fans were complimenting each other, praising outfit and wig choices, and adding to the loving atmosphere that is so often present at events such as these. And so it should be!

Drag is an art form; and one that comes from celebration of uniqueness. Dating back to the ballroom scenes of New York where ‘Haus’ families were created by those otherwise excluded from the norm of society, the very origins of drag should indeed nod to support, love and togetherness.

RuPaul made an active effort to appear engaged and present across the weekend, DJing for over two hours each day to kick off events, with lip sync battles happening on the main stage beneath him. Then venturing to his own merch and signing booth, he gave fans the opportunity to express their love and admiration face to face.

He commented on the weekend: “DragCon has always been a safe space where people can discover and bring to life their true and unique-self and I am honoured to have hosted this in the UK for the first time. Thank you to everyone involved for making DragCon UK a home for all this past weekend.”

Fenton Bailey of World of Wonder added: “The reception given from everyone here at DragCon UK has once again made us realise how fortunate we are to be a part of this ever-evolving and growing community. We are thankful to everyone involved and can’t wait to see everyone in the future.”

What makes events such as DragCon so uniquely special to fans and to wider communities is the access it provides to fans. The cast of Drag Race are often seen as the elite in the world of Drag, and especially pre-UK-Drag-Race, the idea of being able to meet and engage with the US stars was an all-too-distant ideal. However, with BBC Three taking the series on for British television, and DragCon following closely behind, it has opened countless opportunities for individuals, groups of all ages, sexuality, gender and background to have the chance to feel a part of the phenomena happening in front of our very eyes, that is modern drag.