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{{Short description|Fan convention/expo of drag culture first on 18 January 2020}}
{{short description|Drag entertainment convention}}
{{use British English|date=December 2024}}
⚫
{{Infobox recurring event
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
⚫
{{infobox recurring event
| name = RuPaul's Drag Con UK
| name = RuPaul's Drag Con UK
| image =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| status = Upcoming
| status = Active
| genre = Drag culture convention
| genre = [[Drag (entertainment)|Drag entertainment]]
| venue = [[Olympia London|Olympia Exhibition Centre]] <small>(2020)</small><br>[[ExCeL London|Exhibition Centre London]] <small>(2023–present)</small>
| venue = [[ExCeL London|Exhibition Centre London]]
| location = [[London]] <small>(2020–present)</small>
| location = [[London]], England
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| country = United Kingdom
| first = 18–19 January 2020
| first = 18–19 January 2020
| last = 12–13 January 2024
| last = 12–13 January 2024
| next = TBA
| next = 10–11 January 2025
| attendance =
| attendance =
| organizer = [[World of Wonder (company)|World of Wonder]]
| organizer = [[World of Wonder (company)|World of Wonder]]
| website = {{URL|https://uk.rupaulsdragcon.com|uk.rupaulsdragcon.com}}
| website = {{URL|https://uk.rupaulsdragcon.com}}
}}
}}


'''RuPaul's DragCon UK''' is a multi-genre entertainment convention held annually at the [[ExCeL London|Exhibition Centre London]] located in [[London]], England. The two-day event primarily features prominent [[drag performer]]s for executives, fanatics, and online brands. This marks the third edition of RuPaul's DragCon, co-produced by American drag queen [[RuPaul]] and [[World of Wonder (company)|World of Wonder]] founders Fenton Bailey, and Randy Barbato.
'''RuPaul's DragCon UK''' is a [[fan convention]] and [[Trade fair|expo]] of [[Drag (clothing)|drag culture]] held in [[London]], UK. The convention debuted on 18 January 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 2020 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK Was Just Announced! |url=https://whatadrag.co.uk/blog/news/rupauls-drag-con-uk-announced/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=What A Drag |language=en}}</ref> It is based on the successful RuPaul's DragCon [[RuPaul's DragCon LA|LA]] and [[RuPaul's DragCon NYC|NYC]], which are related to the popular television show: ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramsden |first=Sam |date=22 December 2019 |title=These Are The Queens Attending The First Ever RuPaul's DragCon UK |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/which-queens-will-be-appearing-at-rupauls-dragcon-uk-in-january-2020-19622722 |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=Bustle |language=en}}</ref>


The first event took place on 18 January 2020 at the [[Olympia London|Olympia Exhibition Centre]], which was met with negative criticism for opening day. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in England]], the convention was an indefinite hiatus until 2023 where it would resume normally at different venue.
DragCon markets itself to all people of all ages, its emerging target market is young children, who must attend accompanied by parents. Its secondary revenue is through door tickets and its primary revenue is through photo opportunities taken from customers on the day.


== History ==
== History ==
=== 2019–2020: Olympia Exhibition Centre ===
During the annual entertainment convention [[RuPaul's DragCon NYC]] in September 2019, a third edition of the [[Trade show|exhibition]] taking place in the United Kingdom was announced.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doonan |first=Simon |title=Meet the men behind ''RuPaul's Drag Race'': 'We're bringing bawdiness back to the UK' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/meet-men-behind-rupauls-drag-race-bringing-bawdiness-back-uk/ |date=30 September 2019 |access-date=15 December 2024 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] }}</ref> The contestants from reality competition series ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 1)|RuPaul's Drag Race UK]]'' (2019), will appear alongside television personalities [[RuPaul]] and [[Michelle Visage]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Yates |first=Jonathan |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK at London's Olympia - how to get tickets, lineup and more |url=https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-londons-olympia-16971259 |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=15 December 2024 |newspaper=[[MyLondon]] }}</ref> This expansion led the American franchise to be often credited as [[mainstream media]] for its drag entertainment success,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Klein |first=Jessica |title=As ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' expands to the U.K., DragCon shines light on its mainstream success |url=https://fortune.com/2019/09/24/rupaul-drag-race-uk-dragcon/ |url-access=subscription |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=16 December 2024 |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] }}</ref> including in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |last=Abraham |first=Amelia |title='Finally! A sport for us gay people!': How drag went mainstream |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/aug/10/how-drag-went-mainstream-rupaul-karen-from-finance-drag-sos |issn=0261-3077 |date=10 August 2019 |access-date=10 August 2019 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-date=August 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810062614/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/aug/10/how-drag-went-mainstream-rupaul-karen-from-finance-drag-sos |url-status=live }}</ref> Tickets went on pre-sale on 10 September, followed by the general ticket sale three days later, via [[Ticketmaster]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Taylor |first=Star |title=8 things we learned at RuPaul's DragCon NYC 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/rupaul-dragcon-nyc-2019-things-we-learned-8529473/ |date=9 September 2019 |access-date=16 December 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref> Two months later, various alumni contestants, notable locals [[Joseph Harwood]], [[Harnaam Kaur]], and the late internet personality [[Sophie Anderson (actress)|Sophie Anderson]] of [[the Cock Destroyers]] are included in the lineup.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Street |first=Mikelle |title=A Cock Destroyer is coming to DragCon |url=https://www.out.com/drag/2019/12/20/cock-destroyer-coming-dragcon |date=20 December 2019 |access-date=15 December 2024 |magazine=[[Out (magazine)|Out]] }}</ref>


⚫
The convention took place on 18 January 2020 at the [[Olympia London|Olympia Exhibition Centre]] located in [[London]], England. RuPaul and Visage had a [[ribbon-cutting ceremony]] and featured a [[Red carpet#Other colors|pink carpet]] where drag performs gotten a chance to walk through the venue.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Damshenas |first=Sam |title=Check out all the sickening lewks from the first ever RuPaul's DragCon UK |url=https://www.gaytimes.com/culture/check-out-all-the-sickening-lewks-from-the-first-ever-rupauls-dragcon-uk/ |date=22 January 2020 |access-date=15 December 2024 |magazine=[[Gay Times]] }}</ref> Meanwhile, reports were made that many people were queuing outside the venue for approximately two hours.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dosani |first=Rishma |date=18 January 2020 |title=DragCon UK organisers speak out as upset fans complain about 'shambles' event |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/18/dragcon-uk-organisers-speak-upset-fans-brand-event-shambles-huge-queues-12081970/ |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref> Without any explanation, security personnel told ticket holders to come back the next day. This resulted many people demanding for refunds and compared the event to [[Fyre Festival]] and [[TanaCon]] on [[Twitter|X]] (formerly Twitter).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Yalcinkaya |first=Günseli |title=Help! DragCon UK was a capitalist hellscape – and I love it |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/47573/1/rupaul-dragcon-uk-was-a-capitalist-hellscape-and-i-love-it |date=21 January 2020 |access-date=25 August 2022 |magazine=[[Dazed]] }}</ref> An official statement from the organizers explained the queue was stopped due to the venue's maximum capacity which raised "health and safety fears."<ref>{{cite news |last=Baggs |first=Michael |title=DragCon UK: RuPaul fans left disappointed by 'huge' queues |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-51166922 |date=19 January 2020 |access-date=25 August 2022 |work=[[Newsbeat]] |publisher=[[BBC News]] }}</ref>
=== 2020 ===
After the events of RuPaul's DragCon [[RuPaul's DragCon LA|LA]] and [[RuPaul's DragCon NYC|NYC]], they announced another convention which took place at [[London]]. [[RuPaul]], [[Michelle Visage]], and the whole cast of [[RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 1)|''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' (series 1)]] will join the convention.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grace |first=Paul |date=9 January 2020 |title=RuPaul'S DragCon UK sashays across the pond for the first time ever |url=https://louderthanwar.com/rupauls-dragcon-uk-preview/ |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=Louder Than War |language=en-GB}}</ref> The event took place on January 18–19.


The next day, the venue opereted normally and refunds were issued for ticket holders. Many panel conferences featured the concert residency [[RuPaul's Drag Race Live!]], webseries ''[[Fashion Photo RuView]]'', and live audience podcast ''Sibling Rivalry''; a [[play area]] was made available for a younger audience that included [[Drag Queen Story Hour]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Yates |first=Jonathan |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK announce live panel timings and more |url=https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-you-need-17526408 |date=8 January 2020 |access-date=25 August 2022 |newspaper=[[MyLondon]] }}</ref> During the event, the founders of [[World of Wonder (company)|World of Wonder]] made an announcement of greenlighting two docuseries named ''[[God Shave the Queens]]'' (2020–2022) and an untitled [[Trinity the Tuck]] pagentry project.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Barraclough |first=Leo |title=''RuPaul's Drag Race'' producers greenlight two docu-series for SVOD |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/global/rupauls-drag-race-producers-greenlight-two-docu-series-for-svod-exclusive-1203471899/ |date=19 January 2020 |access-date=15 December 2024 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] }}</ref> [[FKA Twigs]], and [[Matty Healy]] attended the convention in support for [[Denise Welch]], who was an emcee for a panel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Heller |first1=Corinne |last2=Lubitz |first2=Spencer |title=FKA twigs and the 1975's Matt Healy spotted together at RuPaul's DragCon UK |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1113368/fka-twigs-and-the-1975-s-matt-healy-spotted-together-at-rupaul-s-dragcon-uk |date=19 January 2020 |access-date=16 December 2024 |website=[[E! Online]] }}</ref>
⚫
Unfortunately, on the day of the event, people were waiting outside the venue for over two hours. Without any explanation, the security staff told the ticket holder to come back the next day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dosani |first=Rishma |date=18 January 2020 |title=DragCon UK organisers speak out as upset fans complain about 'shambles' event |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/18/dragcon-uk-organisers-speak-upset-fans-brand-event-shambles-huge-queues-12081970/ |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref> Many people demanded a refund, and fans on [[Twitter]] compared the event to [[Fyre Festival]] and [[TanaCon]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yalcinkaya |first=Günseli |date=21 January 2020 |title=Help! DragCon UK was a capitalist hellscape – and I love it |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/47573/1/rupaul-dragcon-uk-was-a-capitalist-hellscape-and-i-love-it |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref> The official Twitter account of ''RuPaul's DragCon'' explained that the Health and Safety officials advised them to stop the queue due to "health and safety fears".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baggs |first=Michael |date=19 January 2020 |title=DragCon UK: RuPaul fans left disappointed by 'huge' queues |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-51166922 |access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref>


=== 2023–present: Exhibition Centre London ===
The convention had many panels, such as ''Sibling Rivalry Podcast'', the Netflix series: [[AJ and the Queen]], and [[RuPaul's Drag Race Live!|RuPaul's Drag Race Las Vegas]]. The venue also had the signature Kid Zone, with [[Drag Queen Story Hour]] and a kids' fashion show.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yates |first=Jonathan |date=8 January 2020 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK announce live panel timings and more |url=https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-you-need-17526408 |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=MyLondon |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2023 ===
In March 2022, RuPaul's DragCon UK announced that the convention is coming back after its indefinite hiatus, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2022 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK Sashays Back To Excel London To Host The Biggest Celebration Of Drag Culture Across Three Full Days |url=https://www.thefancarpet.com/movie_news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-sashays-back-to-excel-london-to-host-the-biggest-celebration-of-drag-culture-across-three-full-days-january-6-8-2023/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=The Fan Carpet}}</ref> The convention is set to last for three days (6–8 January 2023) at the [[ExCeL London|Exhibition Centre London]] with over 80 drag queens attending the events.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hains |first=Rachel |date=10 March 2022 |title=RuPaul's Dragcon UK sashays back to London in 2023 |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-sashays-back-23345379 |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}</ref> ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World]]'' contestants are also joining the convention, such as [[Baga Chipz]], [[Pangina Heals]], [[Lemon (drag queen)|Lemon]], and [[Mo Heart]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whyte |first=Woodrow |date=16 May 2022 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK to return in 2023: Here's how to buy tickets |url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/rupauls-drag-race/dragcon-uk-2023-tickets-prices-presale-lineup/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=PopBuzz |language=en}}</ref>
In March 2022, RuPaul's DragCon UK announced that the convention is coming back after its indefinite hiatus, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2022 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK Sashays Back To Excel London To Host The Biggest Celebration Of Drag Culture Across Three Full Days |url=https://www.thefancarpet.com/movie_news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-sashays-back-to-excel-london-to-host-the-biggest-celebration-of-drag-culture-across-three-full-days-january-6-8-2023/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=The Fan Carpet}}</ref> The convention is set to last for three days (6–8 January 2023) at the [[ExCeL London|Exhibition Centre London]] with over 80 drag queens attending the events.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hains |first=Rachel |date=10 March 2022 |title=RuPaul's Dragcon UK sashays back to London in 2023 |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/rupauls-dragcon-uk-sashays-back-23345379 |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}</ref> ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World]]'' contestants are also joining the convention, such as [[Baga Chipz]], [[Pangina Heals]], [[Lemon (drag queen)|Lemon]], and [[Mo Heart]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whyte |first=Woodrow |date=16 May 2022 |title=RuPaul's DragCon UK to return in 2023: Here's how to buy tickets |url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/rupauls-drag-race/dragcon-uk-2023-tickets-prices-presale-lineup/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=PopBuzz |language=en}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{official website}}


{{Drag Race}}
{{Drag Race}}
{{Multigenre conventions in Europe}}


[[Category:2020 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2020 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2020 in LGBTQ history]]
[[Category:Annual events in London]]
[[Category:Conventions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Drag events]]
[[Category:Drag Race (franchise)]]
[[Category:Drag Race (franchise)]]
[[Category:LGBTQ events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:LGBTQ events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Drag events]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 2020]]
[[Category:2020 in LGBTQ history]]
[[Category:Virtual communities]]

Latest revision as of 08:33, 16 December 2024

RuPaul's Drag Con UK
StatusActive
GenreDrag entertainment
VenueExhibition Centre London
Location(s)London, England
CountryUnited Kingdom
Inaugurated18–19 January 2020
Most recent12–13 January 2024
Next event10–11 January 2025
Organized byWorld of Wonder
Websiteuk.rupaulsdragcon.com

RuPaul's DragCon UK is a multi-genre entertainment convention held annually at the Exhibition Centre London located in London, England. The two-day event primarily features prominent drag performers for executives, fanatics, and online brands. This marks the third edition of RuPaul's DragCon, co-produced by American drag queen RuPaul and World of Wonder founders Fenton Bailey, and Randy Barbato.

The first event took place on 18 January 2020 at the Olympia Exhibition Centre, which was met with negative criticism for opening day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the convention was an indefinite hiatus until 2023 where it would resume normally at different venue.

History

[edit]

2019–2020: Olympia Exhibition Centre

[edit]

During the annual entertainment convention RuPaul's DragCon NYC in September 2019, a third edition of the exhibition taking place in the United Kingdom was announced.[1] The contestants from reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2019), will appear alongside television personalities RuPaul and Michelle Visage.[2] This expansion led the American franchise to be often credited as mainstream media for its drag entertainment success,[3] including in the United Kingdom.[4] Tickets went on pre-sale on 10 September, followed by the general ticket sale three days later, via Ticketmaster.[5] Two months later, various alumni contestants, notable locals Joseph Harwood, Harnaam Kaur, and the late internet personality Sophie Anderson of the Cock Destroyers are included in the lineup.[6]

The convention took place on 18 January 2020 at the Olympia Exhibition Centre located in London, England. RuPaul and Visage had a ribbon-cutting ceremony and featured a pink carpet where drag performs gotten a chance to walk through the venue.[7] Meanwhile, reports were made that many people were queuing outside the venue for approximately two hours.[8] Without any explanation, security personnel told ticket holders to come back the next day. This resulted many people demanding for refunds and compared the event to Fyre Festival and TanaCon on X (formerly Twitter).[9] An official statement from the organizers explained the queue was stopped due to the venue's maximum capacity which raised "health and safety fears."[10]

The next day, the venue opereted normally and refunds were issued for ticket holders. Many panel conferences featured the concert residency RuPaul's Drag Race Live!, webseries Fashion Photo RuView, and live audience podcast Sibling Rivalry; a play area was made available for a younger audience that included Drag Queen Story Hour.[11] During the event, the founders of World of Wonder made an announcement of greenlighting two docuseries named God Shave the Queens (2020–2022) and an untitled Trinity the Tuck pagentry project.[12] FKA Twigs, and Matty Healy attended the convention in support for Denise Welch, who was an emcee for a panel.[13]

2023–present: Exhibition Centre London

[edit]

In March 2022, RuPaul's DragCon UK announced that the convention is coming back after its indefinite hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] The convention is set to last for three days (6–8 January 2023) at the Exhibition Centre London with over 80 drag queens attending the events.[15] RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World contestants are also joining the convention, such as Baga Chipz, Pangina Heals, Lemon, and Mo Heart.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Doonan, Simon (30 September 2019). "Meet the men behind RuPaul's Drag Race: 'We're bringing bawdiness back to the UK'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  2. ^ Yates, Jonathan (24 September 2019). "RuPaul's DragCon UK at London's Olympia - how to get tickets, lineup and more". MyLondon. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. ^ Klein, Jessica (24 September 2019). "As RuPaul's Drag Race expands to the U.K., DragCon shines light on its mainstream success". Fortune. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  4. ^ Abraham, Amelia (10 August 2019). "'Finally! A sport for us gay people!': How drag went mainstream". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. ^ Taylor, Star (9 September 2019). "8 things we learned at RuPaul's DragCon NYC 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  6. ^ Street, Mikelle (20 December 2019). "A Cock Destroyer is coming to DragCon". Out. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  7. ^ Damshenas, Sam (22 January 2020). "Check out all the sickening lewks from the first ever RuPaul's DragCon UK". Gay Times. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  8. ^ Dosani, Rishma (18 January 2020). "DragCon UK organisers speak out as upset fans complain about 'shambles' event". Metro. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. ^ Yalcinkaya, Günseli (21 January 2020). "Help! DragCon UK was a capitalist hellscape – and I love it". Dazed. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  10. ^ Baggs, Michael (19 January 2020). "DragCon UK: RuPaul fans left disappointed by 'huge' queues". Newsbeat. BBC News. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  11. ^ Yates, Jonathan (8 January 2020). "RuPaul's DragCon UK announce live panel timings and more". MyLondon. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  12. ^ Barraclough, Leo (19 January 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race producers greenlight two docu-series for SVOD". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  13. ^ Heller, Corinne; Lubitz, Spencer (19 January 2020). "FKA twigs and the 1975's Matt Healy spotted together at RuPaul's DragCon UK". E! Online. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  14. ^ "RuPaul's DragCon UK Sashays Back To Excel London To Host The Biggest Celebration Of Drag Culture Across Three Full Days". The Fan Carpet. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  15. ^ Hains, Rachel (10 March 2022). "RuPaul's Dragcon UK sashays back to London in 2023". WalesOnline. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  16. ^ Whyte, Woodrow (16 May 2022). "RuPaul's DragCon UK to return in 2023: Here's how to buy tickets". PopBuzz. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
[edit]

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