Edmonton Drag Festival

WHAT WE’RE ABOUT?
Edmonton Drag Festival is about celebrating the art of drag performance and provide a platform for drag artists to showcase their talents; and to offer an opportunity for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and allies to come together and celebrate diversity and inclusion. However, the specific goals and objectives of drag fest is about promoting acceptance, raising awareness about issues affecting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and fostering a sense of community and belonging; in spite of the current political climate around drag and drag culture.

ABOUT US!
Edmonton Drag Festival is in its first year and it is a for profit organization. We’re currently operating under the company “Fula-Flava Ltd” which was established in 2019. The aim of this festival is to be a non-profit organization; however, as we complete our first year, we will move towards taking that step.

The people currently involved are Roy Smith and Keith King. Roy Smith is a Black queer immigrant who migrated to Canada ten years ago from the Caribbean. He was introduced to Drag when he first moved to Canada in 2013, and fell in love. He is huge a fan of drag and drag culture. Though he is yet to attend DragCon, his favourite drag race franchises are Canada, USA, UK, Down Under, and Thailand. Keith King is a Métis Two-Spirit person who retired from drag as “Sangria Juggz” a few years ago to focus on academia. However, he is a active member in the community and sit on the Edmonton Two-Spirit Society board.

The Edmonton Drag Festival is about community and relationship building within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In an effort to show our dedication to community, we have already made commitment to community organizations to donate profit made from the Edmonton Drag Festival their organization; and to start a non-profit.

We aware of the sensitivity around the social climate of drag and drag performers, and because of that, we will be working the community to ensure we represent drag in the best way possible.