RuPaul Announces “RuPaul’s DragCon NYC,” 40K Attendees in Los Angeles

“RUPAUL’S DRAGCON” SHATTERS RECORDS WITH OVER 40,000 ATTENDEES 

RUPAUL AND WORLD OF WONDER ANNOUNCE FIRST EVER “RUPAUL’S DRAGCON NYC” FOR FALL 2017 AND THE RETURN OF “RUPAUL’S DRAGCON LA” FOR SPRING 2018

The RuPaul phenomenon continues to expand following record-breaking attendance at third annual RuPaul’s DragCon In Los Angeles – tickets for RuPaul’s DragCon NYC go on sale May 12

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 1, 2017 – Emmy Award winner RuPaul and World of Wonder (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Million Dollar Listing”, “Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce,” “Out Of Iraq”) hosted more than 40,000 attendees during the third annual “RuPaul’s DragCon” at the Los Angeles Convention Center this past weekend.  Following the massive success of the world’s largest drag culture convention, which has tripled its total attendance since debuting in 2015, RuPaul announced the inaugural “RuPaul’s DragCon NYC” during his keynote address Sunday afternoon. The event will be held on September 30th – October 1st, 2017 in New York City. The Los Angeles RuPaul’s DragCon will return for its fourth year in the spring of 2018. 

Spearheaded by RuPaul and World of Wonder Productions, RuPaul’s DragCon provides a platform for fans – of all ages and backgrounds – to meet and interact with world-renowned celebrities and icons in a creative, friendly and accessible environment.  The third annual convention welcomed top talent for performances, meet and greets, panels, and more, including: Michelle Visage, Jerry O’Connell (“Mistresses”), Big Freedia, Wilson Cruz (“Rent”), Noah Galvin (“The Real O’Neills), Ross Mathews, YouTube stars including Manny Mua, Patrick Starrr, Jeffree Star, Bretman Rock, and Drag Race royalty including Alaska 5000, Bob The Drag Queen, Jinxx Monsoon, Alyssa Edwards, Kim Chi, Detox, Katya,Raven, Shangela, Trixie Mattel, Willam and many more. 

Badges and VIP Packages for “RuPaul’s DragCon NYC” will go on sale Friday, May 12 at RuPaulsDragCon.com.  

“At RuPaul’s DragCon, we celebrate all the colors of the rainbow,” exclaims RuPaul. “We have an orange president that wraps himself in red, white and blue.  How are you going to make America great again if you can’t love all the colors of the rainbow?“

“The expressions of love, family and imagination that flooded the LA Convention Center this past weekend made RuPaul’s DragCon the happiest and most fabulous place on earth,” says Randy Barbato, World of Wonder co-founder.

“We’re excited to bring DragCon to NYC where our queens will prance proudly in the city of Stonewall, under the watchful eye of the fiercest queen of all – Lady Liberty,” World of Wonder co-founder Fenton Bailey adds.

Highlights from RuPaul’s DragCon 2017 include: 

• More than 40,000 attendees explored 210,000 square feet of exhibitors, panels, exclusive merchandise opportunities, and the inaugural Kids Zone – an interactive space for kids.  The debut of the Kid’s Zone featured Michelle Tea’s Drag Queen Story Hour program, where drag queens read books to children in bookstores across the nation. 
• Nearly 100 of the world’s most beloved drag queens descended upon DragCon to meet and greet with fans from across the world, including 78 queens from nine seasons of World of Wonder’s hit series, “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” 
• Programming was extensively curated and expanded to include a variety of topics, from the politically themed “Teen Vogue Presents: What Is Drag In Trump’s America?,” discussions on LGBTQ visibility in the media with actors Noah Galvin (ABC’s “The Real O’Neals”), Michael Willett (MTV’s “Faking It”), and Mark Indelicato “(ABC’s “Ugly Betty) to makeup and fashion including “America’s Top Beauty Bloggers” with influencers Manny MUA, Jeffree Starrr, and Laura Lee.   
• Actor Jerry O’Connell (ABC’s “Mistresses”) received a fabulous drag makeover into “Anya Man” by Ginger Minj (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 2”).
• Exhibitors included non-profits such as ACLU, GLAAD, and Planned Parenthood and sponsors VH1, Men’s Health Foundation, Foundation and Jeffree Star.

For photos of RuPaul’s DragCon 2017: Click Here

For videos, stay tuned to World of Wonder’s YouTube channel WOWPresents

Tune in Fridays at 8 pm ET to “RuPaul’s DragRace” on VH1 and UNTUCKED on Saturdays at 8 am ET on WOWPresents.

About World of Wonder:

Innovative production company World of Wonder is behind such entertaining and critically acclaimed hit series as the Emmy® Award winning, RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1/Logo), Million Dollar Listing LA & NY (Bravo), Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce (Fuse), and Island Hunters (HGTV).  RuPaul’s Drag Race won the 2014 TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming. Big Freedia (Fuse) won the 2014 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program. World of Wonder has also created award-winning films and documentaries such as Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Inside Deep Throat, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, I Am Britney Jean, In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye, Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking, Monica in Black and White, The Last Beekeeper, which won an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Nature Programming and Out of Iraq, which won an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Special Class Special. Seven of their films have premiered at the Sundance Film festival including Becoming Chaz and Party Monster, the documentary and feature film starring Macaulay Culkin. World of Wonder has created a substantial digital footprint with its YouTube channel WOWPresents, along with an award-winning blog, The WOW Report. Co-founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey authored The World According to Wonder, celebrating 21 years of production, which can be found online at http://worldofwonder.net/. Randy and Fenton were honored with the IDA Pioneer Award in December 2014, celebrating exceptional achievement, leadership, and vision in the nonfiction and documentary community.