Washington’s Dupont Underground is celebrating Drag this Pride Month  with both an Exhibition and Live Drag Show

DC Royals: A Celebration of Drag is a celebration of the members of the drag community, specifically focusing on the drag culture in the DC area throughout recent years. They want to honor the roots of drag in America authentically while also celebrating the power, pride, and leadership that defines the drag community. The multiplexity of DC cannot be understood without including the history of drag which inspired a generation to embrace their power and raise their voices.

The Exhibition showcases photographs gathered from the archives of the Washington Blade Newspaper and video footage from interviews with Drag Queen Shi-Queeta-Lee and Drag King Pretty RikE. The photographs and interviews offer a glimpse into the past and explore the future of what drag is becoming as a culture and as an art form.

The Live Drag Show features numerous drag artists and is catered by  Red Line Bar.

 Tickets to the Exhibition and Live Drag Show may be purchased separately or as one bundle.

Meanwhile, Washington’s Kennedy Center is about to host its first-ever “The Wig Party: A Capital Drag Festival.” This 3-day event is being organized by performance artist/singer Pussy Noir with JaxKnife Complex and Don Burke.

It kicks off at sunset on Thursday, June 3, with a mini-film festival featuring the screening of Amy Oden’s short documentary Lipstick and Leather about Trade’s popular alt-drag night Gay/Bash.

DJ Lemz will spin for a sundown party on Friday, June 4, followed by a concert with local queer, gender-nonconforming singer Mundy and gay Black performer Jessie 202.

Daniel will lead a Drag Yoga session at 10 a.m. on the festival’s big day, Saturday, June 5, when the main attraction is two group showcases, “Future of Drag,” hosted by Vagenesis and Molasses Catastrophe, and “Capitol Legends” featuring headliners Desiree Dik, Majic Dyke, Gigi Paris Couture, and Shi-Queeta-Lee.

In between those shows, Noir will moderate a “Legendary Lookback” discussion with a panel, including Lee and Rayceen Pendarvis, exploring “the history and importance of drag in the nation’s capital.”

Ultimately, Noir says the goal of the festival is “to introduce drag as a real performance art medium and to really establish that nationally and internationally.”

The Wig Party: A Capital Drag Festival runs Thursday, June 3 to Saturday, June 5, 
on the Kennedy Center’s REACH Plaza. Free but advanced registration required,  Visit www.kennedy-center.org.