RuPaul's DragCon NYC

RuPaul's DragCon NYC is an annual fan convention and expo of drag culture held in New York City, which debuted in September 2017.

[1] It is based on the successful RuPaul's DragCon LA which was launched in Los Angeles in 2015 billed as a “convention that celebrates ‘the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all’”.

RuPaul's Drag Race and the two DragCons come from World of Wonder Entertainment (WOW), a production company based in Los Angeles.

[14] IndieWire notes that DragCon is similar to the annual Burning Man art festival in that attendees exhibit radical self-expression, the culture is participatory and inclusive, and what is presented is ephemeral.

[2] It is based on the successful RuPaul's DragCon LA which was launched in Los Angeles in 2015, and considered the "world's largest celebration of drag culture" with 50,000 attendees.

RuPaul's Drag Race and the two DragCons come from World of Wonder Entertainment (WOW), a production company based in Los Angeles.

[16] One of the notable panels was "Beyond the Binary", with Aja, performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon, and actor Nico Tortorella discussing "how can we make the world more inclusive of non-binary and gender non-conforming people?

[27][28] This year’s event included efforts to politically activate attendees by registering people to vote, and through seminars on organizing for equal LGBTQ rights.

World of Wonder (WOW) co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato work at curating an experience including booths, attractions, kids zone, etc.

[7] DragCon “has seen 615% year-over-year growth in beauty vendors and sponsors”; with “more than $8.2 million in on-site sales in 2018, and 93% of attendees purchased merchandise valued at $200 or more.”[7] Ginger Minj, when asked the value in meeting fans personally, said it helps humanize the drag queen they've only seen on the screen, and "helps them realize that this is a serious job for us, not just fun and games on TV".

[1] “It’s really cool just having a bigger platform (because) everyone gets to see more of what I do,” stated Ariel Versace, RPDR season eleven contestant, “you get more recognized for the hard work that you put into your drag.”[35]