Holidays in San Francisco
Drag queens sparkle on ice skates in Union Square
In a time when certain states are doubling down on drag ban debates, it’s warming to see so many family-friendly events in San Francisco for our performers.
By T. Von D.
The holiday season in San Francisco wouldn’t be complete without Drag Queens on Ice, our annual revue where dolled-up local LGBTQ+ performers twirl and tumble on skates — mostly on purpose. This year nine fantastic performers graced the rink at Union Square.
And in a time when certain states are doubling down on drag ban debates, it’s warming to see so many family-friendly events in San Francisco for our performers. From SF is a Drag to the Golden Girls Live, there’s nothing quite as fun as queens in full winter regalia trying to navigate a huge slippery surface in our city’s holiday central.
The evening started with a free skate for ticketed participants, who got to skate with the drag queens and take selfies on the ice. First lady of the Castro Donna Sachet hosted the event and did not make it out onto the ice herself, but assisted from the sidelines. The drag variety show covered hits by Cher, Björk, and for the grand finale Disney’s Frozen. The skill level of the skaters also varied from Olympic to professional to amateur, but the passion and energy was never lacking.
In the lineup this year was well represented, including performances by:
- Paju Munro and Baby Shaques Munro both performed early in the show.
- More drag kings including Helixir and Jota Mercury were a breath of fresh air.
- The crowd enjoyed performances by Miss California Dusty Pörn, Curveball and Tara Lipsyncki.
- My personal favorite was Jubilee the hill-billy queen, who really lived up to her hilarious reputation. There were only a few spills on the ice, but we were assured that they were all totally on purpose.
Listen I do have a bone to pick with this show, which I reiterate still is a wonderful event. The show is free, but if you wanted to watch it comfortably, you were better off snagging a participant ticket to watch the show rinkside, as the exterior double barrier around the ice is higher than the average person, and 50 percent of the glass partition is obstructed by advertisements. A good sized crowd turned out to party and celebrate the season, but it’s a little hard to cheer when you can’t see what you should be cheering for. Some people were so eager to catch a glimpse of the show, they tethered on borrowed cafe chairs and city trash cans.
If you missed the drag queens this year, you’ll have to wait for 2024, but the ice rink at Union Square will be open through January 15th, including Christmas Day. Even though the queens have hung up their wigs, there is nothing stopping you from dressing up and putting on an ice show yourselves, so get out there and skate, San Francisco.
T. Von D. is a local museum worker and lesbian.
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