Today some sad news posted that is tied to the growing fears over the spread of coronavirus. RuPaul’s DragCon 2020 in Los Angeles scheduled for early May is now officially canceled.
The news was spread on social media with an official tweet from the RuPaulsDragCon Twitter account.
The event was scheduled from May 1-3, 2020 and was going to feature a fun event on May 1st for the first official RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Party at RuPaul’s DragCon LA. This new event was an add-on for the main three-day convention.
After the cocktails and the viewing party, an “extra special surprise performance” was promised too.
As one can imagine the replies and reactions to this news on Twitter by fans have involved a lot of disappointment.
The official statement:
On the World of Wonder website it read:
“DragCon’s first priority is always the health and safety of everyone involved and we’ve been actively tracking the situation around the coronavirus. The situation in California (and the world) is rapidly changing, with new information coming out everyday. Unfortunately, there’s no way for anyone to know what the situation will be like in May. Due to that uncertainty, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided that it’s in the best interest of the talent, staff, and attendees to cancel RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2020.”
“DragCon LA will return in 2021, better than ever.”
“We will be working with Eventbrite to issue refunds for existing DragCon LA ticket holders over the next 7 days. You will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite when the refund has been issued.”
An update on DragCon LA and Coronavirus is available here: https://t.co/OAGqYtj8Ma
— World of Wonder (@WorldOfWonder) March 10, 2020
What is DragCon?
RuPaul’s DragCon is the world’s largest drag culture convention and is an offshoot of the popular TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race, and it is held in Los Angeles, New York, and London every year.
Not just a convention, RuPaul’s DragCon is also a cultural movement celebrating art, diversity, kitsch and pop culture, and all things in the art of drag. The event also features exhibitor booths on the convention floor boasting a wide range of programming.
DragCon also books dynamic guest speakers like author, actor and culture commentator Frank DeCaro, who wrote the book Drag, Combing Through The Big Wigs of Hollywood. In addition, there are Q&A sessions with the top-performing queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race and other drag icons.
The event typically includes lip-syncing contests and a fun segment called drag herstory, as well as tips on fashion, make-up, and more in an all-ages and accessible event meant to celebrate art, life, and inclusivity.
Think a colorful, fun and creative wonderland for kindred spirits to get together and queer it up with costumes, makeup, and performance attitude. It’s a place where the queens walk the pink carpet with the former contestants and fans alike, strutting their stuff and celebrating all the fun and humor of drag.
This is also a meet and greet place for fans to take pictures, and for the queens to sign autographs. They’ll sometimes perform right in the moment on the convention floor or take part in a discussion panel, and even have the opportunity to sell their own branded merchandise.
How are fans handling the news?
Not well. Twitter has disappointed fan reactions regarding the cancelation news:
??? my birthday present to myself is gone. Well I guess its best for health reasons but i wouldve worn gloves, face mask, heck even a hazmat suit ? pic.twitter.com/62y7WuIXsc
— Cortez G (@MINDFRR3AK2) March 10, 2020
This is so sad. It was going to be my first dragcon. I’ll be there next year though! Get ready for me L.A. pic.twitter.com/JDLGv8zOdc
— Amanda Rubin (@amandakrubin81) March 10, 2020
NOOOOO!!! ?? pic.twitter.com/bMs7po5kjM
— Sage (@Sage19781381) March 10, 2020
RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 12) airs Fridays at 8/7c on VH1