PHOTOS – RuPaul’s DragCon

This weekend, on the heels of 10 new Emmy® nominations, media company World of Wonder (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Owning Manhattan,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) hosted the annual RuPaul’s DragCon at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Throughout the weekend, tens of thousands of fans saw programming ranging from signings and meet and greets with fan-favorite Queens, to photo opps and a Friday DJ set with RuPaul, mainstage performances and merch, as well as live tapings of multiple WOW Presents Plus original series.

RuPaul said, “History is being made at RuPaul’s DragCon LA as a record-breaking number of Drag Race queens from around the world have united to share their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. The outpouring of love from their fans has been truly overwhelming. At moments like this, I am reminded of the power of community, creativity, and the freedom of expression.”

World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato said, “Drag queens are global freedom fighters. They are the marines of the LGBTQ+ community. It is our honor to bring together queens and fans from around the world in a joyous celebration of life, love, and artistry – and now, you can relive the fun on WOW Presents Plus.”

Dubbed the Met Gala of drag, RuPaul’s DragCon is the largest celebration of drag culture in the world. The drag and pop culture extravaganza brings all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to tens of thousands of attendees, with 200 of the world’s top drag queens from around the world mixing and mingling with fans of all ages and backgrounds. This year’s convention featured live tapings of multiple original series. The iconic Queens Walk was live-streamed from the convention’s Pink Carpet on WOW Presents Plus with host Michelle Visage as she spoke with fan-favorite queens Plastique, Marina Summers, Sapphira, Plane Jane, Kween Kong, and more on their runway looks.

Award-winning make-up artist Raven filmed new episodes of the series “Touch Ups with Raven” with special guests La Grande Dame, Sapphira Cristal, Morphine Love Dion, M1ss Jade So, Grag Queen, and Lawrence Cheney. Jonny McGovern also sat down for special live tapings of “Hey Qween!” with LaLa Ri, Envy Peru, Jimbo, Kita Mean, the cast of House on Fire, and more. Both of these series will premiere WOW Presents Plus later this year.

World of Wonder made major franchise announcements out of the convention, including the news that “Avalon TV” Season 2, which takes you inside the brains of LA’s hottest creative collective, will premiere on August 12th on WOW Presents Plus. Additionally, the company debuted a brand new teaser for the newest season of “Painted with Raven” and the upcoming third season of “Drag Race Thailand.” Also some lé-gen-daire news from our French sisters, Le Filip was crowned the winner of “Drag Race France” Season 3 last night.

RuPaul himself DJ’ed a dance party set on the Main Stage for all attendees to enjoy. The Main Stage also included live runway performances, a fashion show, a fan-led lipsync competition, and electrifying performances by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars. Other happenings on the convention show floor included a special appearance by Betsey Johnson at her booth, fan signings, the exuberant Kids’ Zone sponsored by the Teletubbies (who also gave iconic performances throughout the weekend with Tia Kofi and Blu Hydrangea), and over 200 exhibitor booths offering everything from interactive fan experiences, exclusive merch, beauty products, apparel, art and more. Beauty brands Essie, e.l.f., and got2be also had a large presence at the convention – giving away freebies of their most popular products.

The event also included fan-favorite panels, reuniting select casts for the franchise. WOW Presents Plus original series “Bring Back My Girls” returned for its fourth season, bringing audiences these exclusive DragCon panel conversations with the casts of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 (reuniting for the first time ever), RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World S2, Drag Race Philippines S2, Canada’s Drag Race S4, and Drag Race Mexico S1 – all hosted by TV personality and LGBTQ+ activist Ts Madison.

The convention featured Queens and other celebrity talent for performances, meet and greets, panels and more, including: RuPaul, S16 winner Nymphia Wind, All Stars 9 contestants Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Roxxxy Andrews, Shannel, Gottmik, Plastique Tiara, Vanessa Vanjie, All Stars 8 winner Jimbo, Jaida Essence Hall, Heidi N Closet, La Grande Dame, Alexis Michelle, Baga Chipz, Marina Summers, Crystal, Alaska, Gia Metric, recently announced Global All Stars contestants Eva Le Queen and Kween Kong, and more.

On Sunday, World of Wonder’s WOWIE Awards took place to  honor the very best in artistry, activism, entertainment, and more. This year’s nominees feature the trailblazers, innovators, and legendary icons that made us go “WOW” in 2024. A full winners list is available HERE.

Hot off the heels of DragCon LA, tickets are also now on sale for DragCon UK 2025. The event from January 10-11, 2025 will see ExCeL London play host and once again feature extraordinary Drag Queens from all over the world. For more information and to buy tickets and VIP experience passes to RuPaul’s DragCon UK at ExCeL London visit: https://uk.rupaulsdragcon.com/

All Photos Courtesy of World of Wonder