Best Drag Shows in NYC: Glitz and Glamour in the Big Apple
We’ve all been there: You’re out to brunch when suddenly a 6-foot-5 Amazonian in stilettos starts voguing right in front of your salad. Later that evening, you’re minding your business in the club when a queen tears off her blonde wig to reveal a brunette wig and lip-synchs to “The Climb.” The next morning, you go to pour yourself a bowl of cereal, and a drag queen comes tumbling out of the box, splashing milk on your PJs.
It seems like drag queen shows are everywhere these days, exploding into mainstream popularity thanks to shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Dragula. But what if you prefer quality over quantity in your queer nightlife? Where do you find the hottest drag kings and drag queens cross-dressing with the best of them?
Well, Bob the Drag Queen isn’t kidding when she says New York City has some of the best drag queens in the world. No shade to other gay-friendly cities, but we’ve got to agree. So pay attention, divas, because class is in session, the library is open, and reading is what? That’s right: fundamental. Here’s everything you need to know about the best drag shows in NYC.
Top 8 places to enjoy a drag show in New York City
Before Bob the Drag Queen performed with Madonna, Jinkx Monsoon hit it big on Broadway, and Bianca Del Rio sold out arenas, they were collecting dollar bills in basement bars and nightclubs, dreaming of making it big.
Although it might cost a couple hundred dollars to see one of the girls from RuPaul’s Drag Race now, you could have seen them for the cost of a vodka soda once upon a time. Supporting local drag is a great way to find your next favorite queen before the world finds out about them, and New York City’s drag scene is the place to look. Here’s where to start:
1. Pieces
Pieces is one of the oldest gay bars in New York’s Greenwich Village. In its time, it has produced some of the world’s best queens. It’s so legendary, in fact, that Adele and Jennifer Lawrence crashed Brita Filter’s show there in 2019 (before Brita was even on Drag Race).
These days, local legends like Izzy Uncut are holding it down at Pieces, plus plenty of queens with nightly shows you don’t want to miss. And celebrities are still dropping in to catch a show. Miss Pink Pony Club herself, Chappell Roan, was just there. You never know who you’re gonna see.
2. Hardware
Hardware calls itself Hell’s Kitchen’s favorite neighborhood gay bar, and they’re not wrong. Open every day from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m., there’s never really a bad time to go to Hardware, but Skinny Brunch is definitely one of the best.
Skinny Brunch is a drag brunch on steroids. Every Saturday and Sunday from 2–8 p.m., you can throw back $6 margaritas and mimosas while drag queens give show after show after show. It’s currently hosted by Harriet Tugsmen and Chola Spears, but a few Drag Race girls have done the honors before.
3. Dollar Bill
Don’t get us wrong; we love a good, cramped, low-budget drag show where queens are basically doing the splits right on your lap. But if you’re looking for a drag production, look no further than 3 Dollar Bill. Tickets will probably be required, but it’s well worth it.
From musical nights like FAGTASIA to hosting out-of-town legends, 3 Dollar Bill is where you go when you want to see something big. Just make sure you’ve still got your one-dollar bills, too; no matter where the drag show is, tipping is still a must.
4. Playhouse
When you’ve got a good thing going, you generally don’t stop, which is why the team behind Pieces and Hardware opened Playhouse — another mononymous club with nightly drag performances.
From BBL (Beauty, Body, Legs) Thursday to Showtunes in the City, something is happening at this drag queen bar every night of the week. You just need to be ready to play along.
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5. Balcon
They say all good things come in threes, but considering the number of drag queens in New York City, maybe it’s actually fours. Balcon is the city’s newest LGBTQ club from the team behind Pieces, Hardware, and Playhouse.
New bars typically mean new shows, which mean new chances for new queens to do something (you guessed it) new. Balcon might be home to some of the greenest queens in New York, but in the Big Apple, even a green apple is pretty damn good.
6. Bushwig
Bushwig isn’t exactly a place; it’s more of an event. But no list of good drag shows in New York City would be complete without it. Bushwig started, as many good things do, in someone’s backyard in Brooklyn.
Since the first event in 2011, Bushwig has transformed into a multi-day drag festival with over 150 performances across multiple stages. Everybody from Lady Bunny to Naomi Smalls has graced the Bushwig stage, and now that it tours to Los Angeles, New Orleans, and even Berlin, people from all over the world can get in on the Bushwig magic without hopping on a plane to New York.
7. Barracuda
No list of drag shows in the Big Apple would be complete without Barracuda. In New York City, it doesn’t get much gayer than Chelsea. And in Chelsea, it doesn’t get much gayer than in Barracuda.
There’s a reason to go every night of the week, but if you only go for one, you have to check out Star Search, the longest-running drag competition in New York City. Before drag queens lip-synched for their lives on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Star Search was where you went to find the next drag superstar, and honestly, it still is.
8. Industry
Rounding out the list is Industry, a giant, moody bar in Hell’s Kitchen that’s got the one thing in New York City everyone’s looking for (besides a fabulous drag show) — space. Thursday night is Queen, and that’s the night you want to go.
Even when they aren’t performing, many drag performers flock to Industry to end their night. You’ll find them sitting at the bar, probably still expecting a tip.
Drag your ass out to the bar tonight
If you’re looking for friends to hit up a drag show (or someone to go home with afterward), Grindr has plenty of guys who would make any drag queen pop their tuck. Download the Grindr app today and queen out over all the local hotties.
