On Sept. 20 and 21, The Oxford hosted a Drag and Dessert event. They brought in local drag performers and served sweet treats to the audience. The first night’s theme was Disney and on the second night didn’t have a set theme.
Many treats were served, including varying cookies, scotcharoos and mini cupcakes. The event also had a chocolate fountain with marshmallows and strawberries to dip. It was self-serve, all included in the $25 ticket price.
Riley Hutchens, attendee of the second night, initially heard of this event from her friend and performer Diablo.
Hutchens said she loves drag because everyone is different when performing on stage and it showcases many different personalities.
“I love how different everybody is,” Hutchens said. “There’s so many different personalities.”
Sarah Berg said she heard of the event through Volume One, she also attended the second night.
“I love seeing other people happy,” Berg said. “The self-expression — I thought it was cool.”
Many different songs were performed at the event. On Friday night, there were different Disney classics.
On Saturday, there were songs ranging from a duet of “SOS” by ABBA to Glee’s cover of “Marry the Night” and Sabrina Carpenter’s 2023 VMA Music Award performance.
The event had two acts each night, giving each performer two chances to perform with different songs and outfits.
Collin Phillips, who watched the second night show, said he liked the event because he thought the outfits were cool and entertaining and that drag was fun.
Ryele Pyykola also heard of this event from Diablo’s Instagram account. Pyykola and Diablo are old coworkers and friends. Pyykola said drag is a great way to express oneself.
“I just think it’s an awesome thing and brings a lot of people together,” Pyykola said.
The event was organized with one main stage at the front of the room and round tables surrounding it which were numbered to organize the guests. Performers left the stage and weaved between the tables to interact with the audience.
“It’s great. I f——-g love a gay man,” Marin Peterson said. “What can I say? I love their flamboyancy and watching them perform. I’m like, ‘This is amazing.’ And people need to stand up for the gay community.”
Boggess can be reached at [email protected].
