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Wigstock was an annual outdoor drag festival that began in 1984 in Manhattan's East Village that took place on Labor Day. Continuing, with a few gaps, until 2005, the festival would traditionally act as the unofficial end to the summer for the gay community of New York City. After a 12-year gap, the festival was revived by
In 1987, video artist Tom Rubnitz filmed a 20-minute documentary titled ''Wigstock: The Movie''. Rubnitz's film captures the event's early improvised atmosphere; early years of Wigstock often made direct reference to Woodstock (including performance artist John Kelly's send-up of
Lady Bunny
* * {{Drag performance East Village, Manhattan Festivals in Manhattan Transgender events LGBT festivals in the United States LGBT history in New York City Recurring events established in 1984 Recurring events disestablished in 2001 Recurring events established in 2003 Recurring events disestablished in 2005 Drag events LGBT events in New York (state)
Wigstock was an annual outdoor drag festival that began in 1984 in Manhattan's East Village that took place on Labor Day. Continuing, with a few gaps, until 2005, the festival would traditionally act as the unofficial end to the summer for the gay community of New York City. After a 12-year gap, the festival was revived by Lady Bunny
Lady Bunny, originally known as "Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock" (born Jon Ingle, August 13, 1962), is an American drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasion ...
and Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
on September 1, 2018 at Pier 17 of the South Street Seaport in New York City. The name refers to the 1969 Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
.
History
Hosted by co-creatorLady Bunny
Lady Bunny, originally known as "Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock" (born Jon Ingle, August 13, 1962), is an American drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasion ...
, the festival was held in its first years in Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City, Manhattan, Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by 10th Street (Manhattan), East 10th ...
. According to Lady Bunny, the event began spontaneously in 1984 after a group of drag queens (along with Wendy Wild, Scott Lifshutz and a couple of Fleshtones) became inebriated at the nearby Pyramid Club and decided to put on a show in the park.
In the mid-1990s, the Giuliani administration prohibited the festival being held in Tompkins Square and Union Square, and moved it to the Hudson River, effectively ensuring it would lose its grassroots activist appeal. Lady Bunny said that 2001's Wigstock would be the last, but in 2003, 2004, and 2005, Wigstock and Bunny returned to Tompkins Square, this time under the auspices of the Howl Festival.
Documentaries
In 1987, video artist Tom Rubnitz filmed a 20-minute documentary titled ''Wigstock: The Movie''. Rubnitz's film captures the event's early improvised atmosphere; early years of Wigstock often made direct reference to Woodstock (including performance artist John Kelly's send-up of Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
and her song "Woodstock"), and Rubnitz's film mimics aspects of the 1970 Woodstock concert film.
A second documentary titled '' Wigstock: The Movie'' was released in 1995; the festivals captured are larger and more polished, with rock music largely supplanted by house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
, and the influence of the original Woodstock festival less evident. The 1995 film gained a wider audience and was distributed across the country, then released on video and DVD.
The 2019 film ''Wig
A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...
'' by Chris Moukarbel
Chris Moukarbel is an American director and producer. He is best known for his 2017 film '' Gaga: Five Foot Two'', a critically acclaimed documentary about American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga.
His first feature documentary ''Me at the Zoo'' prem ...
explores the festival's origins, evolution, and 2018 incarnation.
References
Further reading
* *External links
Lady Bunny
* * {{Drag performance East Village, Manhattan Festivals in Manhattan Transgender events LGBT festivals in the United States LGBT history in New York City Recurring events established in 1984 Recurring events disestablished in 2001 Recurring events established in 2003 Recurring events disestablished in 2005 Drag events LGBT events in New York (state)