News

DragCon UK: A celebration of self-expression.

Bringing together a unique community that centres queerness and challenges societal norms.

Means Happy

13 Jan 2025 — 7 min read

The global success of the Drag Race franchise has been a game-changer for anyone drawn to the art-form of drag.

Queens now being cast in the show - in whatever variation of the franchise they're eligible for - have most likely started exploring their drag personas in a post Drag Race world.

The career pathways now available to aspiring drag queens were inconceivable before the reality competition show became a cultural phenomenon.

Drag is inherently queer - it parodies the norms of society - but it's the freedom of self-expression embodied by Drag Race that seems to resonate with the broad community that has formed around the show.

This past weekend, that tribe came together in London for DragCon - a commercial trade show coordinated by the production team responsible for the franchise. DragCon events are also held in Los Angeles and New York.

Who goes to a DragCon event? This is not a room full of gay men - this is a queer community in its broadest sense. Everyone dresses up. There are a lot of families. It's a positive and welcoming vibe.

This is a world reigned over by RuPaul as its patron saint. This year's event began with an official ribbon-cutting, followed by a promenade of all the alumni contestants that have appeared on the show. There were a lot of them. I lost count. It's not just the UK queens that are here - cast members from around the world have travelled to be part of this event, even the cast of Season 17 which has just begun to air.

The queens attend to connect with the audience, build their brand, and monetise their profile - selling merch, photos - and creating social media content. The fans attend to celebrate their favourites but also revel in the possibilities that are presented when you have the freedom to express yourself however you want - to wear what you want, to be who want.

But while there are now more diverse career-paths available to drag queens, this remains a tough business. The queens have to pay to host a trade stand. They have to pay to decorate and staff their booth. There's new outfits to invest in, there's merch to produce. While some queens had queues all day, other queens had no customers. That's a lot of time, effort, and energy if you're no longer flavour of the month with the Drag Race fandom.

Being a successful drag queen in today's entertainment industry requires hard work, persistence, resilience, and a fair bit of luck. Being cast on Drag Race doesn't mean that you've "made it" - it's the beginning of a new chapter and it's up to you how best to navigate that. The rewards and challenges of that were all on display at DragCon UK.