by Performers in Portland, Oregon, took to the stage Monday for 48 hours straight, breaking a world record for the longest drag show, while furthering acceptance.
He Two-Day Drag-a-thon» was held at Darcelle’s, an iconic drag cabaret in Old Town, a cultural center in Northwest Portland’s Chinatown, according to KGW-TV, a local NBC affiliate. The event featured more than 60 performers and 600 songs. , along with 60 masters of ceremonies.
“Today in Portland, Oregon, USA, you had a time of 48 hours, 11 minutes and 30 seconds, and you hold the new Guinness World Record title,” the announcer said, certifying the record Wednesday afternoon, while Confetti was raining down on a boisterous crowd. The show began on Monday afternoon and ended shortly after 5 am on Wednesday.
He previous world record for the longest drag show it was 36 hours, 36 minutes and 40 seconds and was achieved through a staged event in Melbourne, Australia in 2017.
Performers from the show celebrated the success and talked about the importance of having this type of performance during the current political climate and the influx of anti-drag laws in dozens of states across the United States.
“This is the time for all of us to come together, for the world to know that in America we are free to be exactly who we are,” Bolivia Carmichaels, a drag performer, told KGW-TV. “There are so many fantastic queens, local and from across the country that came together just for this event.”
The drag show drew more than 2,500 attendees. Wildfang, a Portland-based queer clothing company, and Darcelle’s raised more than $250,000 for The Trevor Project, an organization that supports LGBTQ youth in crisis.
“I swear the only city that could have done this is Portland. The only place people are going to go out at 3 am and 4 am to see a drag show is Portland,” said Emma Mcilroy, producer of Drag-a-Thon and CEO of Wildfang.
