The High Heel Drag Queen Race is an informal costumed

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

race in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Each year on the Tuesday before the Halloween holiday, thousands of spectators come to

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW t ...

to watch as 100 or so costumed drag queens show off their elaborate outfits and race down 17th Street. Bars and restaurants along the route prepare special drinks and dishes for the occasion.

History

Twenty-five contestants entered the first high heel drag race held outside J.R.'s Bar & Grill (at 1529 17th St NW) on Halloween 1986. The midnight dash went one and a half blocks to Annie's Paramount Steak House where the racers ran upstairs for a shot of

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...

, then down the stairs and back down the street to JR's. Clinton Winter won the race and a bottle of champagne. Dave Perruzza, general manager of JR.'s organized the event for its first 25 years. He organized hundreds of volunteers to help carry out the event and clean up afterward. He worked with the police to change the event to the Tuesday before Halloween, as a way of thinning the growing crowds. In 2011, at the 25th anniversary he stepped down as organizer giving the responsibility to the organization

Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. On the 2011 25th anniversary, DC Mayor Vince Gray, served as grand marshal of the event. Upwards of 100,000 spectators were expected for the 25th anniversary.

Influences

The race has influenced the creation of similar drag races in other countries. The Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity that works for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender young people who are homeless or in hostile living environments, started the Annual Soho Drag Race in September 2011. The race centred on

Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a much weathered ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

References

{{Reflist LGBT events in Washington, D.C. 1986 establishments in Washington, D.C. Dupont Circle LGBT culture in Washington, D.C.

History

Influences

See also

References