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June was full of events where LGBTQ+ people could reconnect, be themselves and have fun, and July is shaping up no differently. You want to watch a show? Check. Dance the night away? You got it. Sip tea and gossip? Let’s get brewing. Event producers across town once again pulled out all the stops to not only attract some of the nation’s top queer talent, but to find and cultivate these artists and entertainers locally, too. If you’re not seeing what you want in print, there’s always our online events calendar, which will be updated even after the waterfront Pride festival packs in after another year of celebration.
King of Drag Weekly Watch Parties
TV’s first all-kings drag competition King of Drag debuted in June, and though Oregon only appears on the guest judge panel (hi, Cole Escola, Kathleen Hanna and Lisa Rinna!), Old Town bars Badlands and Barrel Room each host weekly watch parties to cheer on the boys. They thankfully aren’t held at the same time, so if you can’t make one party, there’s still another to watch with other drag fans. Barrel Room, 120 NW Couch St., 503-242-0700, barrelroompdx.com. 5:30 pm Sundays. Free. 21+. Badlands, 110 NW Broadway, 503-972–7572, badlandspdx.com. 9 pm Sundays. Free. 21+.
Drag Bingo at Abigail Hall
Shandie Evans hosts one of Portland’s poshest drag bingo games in downtown’s Abigail Hall, bringing at least one of her friends along to help benefit the Q Center. The Woodlark Hotel’s cocktail lounge is also known for its picturesque high teas, but Evans’ hosting style keeps things from getting too stiff—or does it? Only one way to find out! Abigail Hall, 813 SW Alder St., abigailhallpdx.com. 6:30 pm Thursdays. $5. 21+.
Sad Girl Summer
Sugarpill is still a sad, sad girl, so she and a dozen of her castmates return to the Clinton Street Theater to let the tears (and tips) fall like rain in sad drag acts. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com. 8 pm Friday, July 11. $12–$20.
Andromeda
Marque De Sade hosts a competition that somehow mixes drag’s lip syncing with live singing. This time, the audience will choose from among the talents of Roux Barb, Camelot Contrary, Ms. Gender, Moxxxie Mischief and Slob the Drag Thing. Escape Bar & Grill, 9004 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-255-4300, escapebarandgrillpdx.com. 6 pm Saturday, July 12. Free. 21+.
Betty
The quarterly dance party Betty is back in time for Pride, with RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna Heidi N. Closet touching down to keep things as (hard s-whistle) soft and supple as ever. White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th Ave., 503-236-9672, whiteowlsocialclub.com. 9 pm Saturday, July 12. $14.64–$39.12. 21+.
Skyline Soiree
Poison Waters hosts Pride’s bougiest tea party at the Ritz-Carlton. Price includes tea blends from Tealeaves, pastries and sandwiches, and either a glass of rosé or a Don Julio-infused Jell-O shot. Bellpine at the Ritz-Carlton, 900 SW Washington St., 971-900-4500, opentable.com. July 12, 13 and 20. $156. 21+.
Rabble Rouser
Pride will always be a political time, and if activism is new to you (or if you want a refresher on best practices), Bend drag artist Pattie Gonia hosts an afternoon of workshops and conversations ahead of the next evening’s show at Revolution Hall (see page 20). Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503-384-2511, mcmenamins.com. 3 pm Wednesday, July 16. $33–$35.
Save Her!
Pattie Gonia tours the environmentally themed drag show Save Her! to Portland, enlisting not only artists Vera! and Sequoia but a surprise cast of local artists to help save Mother Earth. Revolution Hall, 1300 SW Stark St., 971-808-5094, revolutionhall.com. 8 pm Thursday, July 17. $43.76–$162.49.
Dollapalooza
Katya Butler’s annual Pride weekend drag festival returns for a multisite experience, spending two nights under the sea at the downtown Portland art installation FATHOM, and one returning to last year’s destination, Wonderlove. FATHOM, 520 SW 4th Ave., 503-482-8208, linktr.ee/klipklopproductions. 9 pm Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19. $20–$150. 21+. Wonderlove, 262 SE Main St., 503-308-8369, linktr.ee/klipklopproductions. 6 pm Sunday, July 20. $20–$150. 21+.
Club Echo
This all-ages dance party thrown by one-half NelSon wants the club kids to find one another while they’re still actually kids. DJs, drag artists and circus performers keep the entertainment high energy as Pride weekend kicks off. Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave., 971-267-3246, echotheaterpdx.org. 8 pm Friday, July 18. $10–$30.
Dyke Nite
DJs Stas Thee Boss and Meanmug keep the turntables warm and the dance floor hot at Ann Pyne’s monthly sapphic dance party. Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Court, 503-240-6088, polarishall.com. 9 pm Friday, July 18. $25. 21+.
Gaylabration
Now in its 13th year, Gaylabration is the Crystal Ballroom’s biggest annual gay dance party. DJs, lasers, sweaty bodies…you know what’s up. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503-384-2511, mcmenamins.com. 9 pm Friday, July 18. $30–$90. 21+.
Fridays Are a Drag
Kandy Muse (RPDR, House of Villains) returns to Portland for Pride, performing along with local entertainers Sheniqua Volt, Taylor Switch, Hoot Ishi and host Rio Diehl Volt. Badlands, 110 NW Broadway, 503-972–7572, badlandspdx.com. 9:15 Friday, June 18. 21+.
Zodiac Rainbow Kiki Ball 2
Rebound, the group bringing together Portland’s vogue ballroom scene, hosts another rainbow-hue ball for Pride season. Turn it out Roy G. Biv style and serve for the judges. The Get Down, 680 SE 6th Ave., thegetdownpdx.com. 11 pm Friday, July 18. $15–$20. 21+.
LGBTQ+ Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade
Tom McCall Waterfront Park is for girls, gays and theys once more! Frenchie Davis, Jason Stuart, Landon Cider and the band 76th Street headline this year’s entertainment roster. Sunday’s LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, which starts in Old Town at 11 am, wind up Naito Parkway and into the park to close out a weekend of pride and love. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, North Park Blocks to Naito Parkway, 503-295-9788, portlandpride.org. Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20. $10 suggested donation.
Queer Speed Dating and Friending
Don’t want to spend another Pride alone, but also put exactly zero effort into finding someone before the night of? The folks at PDX Queer Meet Up have you covered with a speed date event that also covers if you’re trying to round out your friend group without looking for “friends” on Grindr (or whatever app is in these days). Back2Earth, 3536 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-206-8276, back2earthpdx.com. 7 pm Saturday, July 19. $15. 21+.
BOYeurism
Drag Race alumna Trinity K. Bonet headlines the quarterly cabaret’s roster of proudly Black performers. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St, 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 8 pm Friday, July 19. $42–$63.75. 18+.
Uncaged
Sophia Coppola’s second-most-famous relative isn’t gay, yet the folks at Cult Of! are giving Nicolas Cage the drag tribute treatment anyway. His canonically queer killer from Longlegs should likely get some stage time, as one imagines his community-aligned titles like Moonstruck or Wild at Heart will. It’s nearly a guaranteed bet someone will bring bees for a Wicker Man tribute, though how they’ll get used is anyone’s guess. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com. 8 pm Thursday, July 24. $17. 21+.
