Play bingo, have brunch or party with Munich’s drag kings and queens – the range of drag events is as colorful as the make-up of their protagonists. Popular songs, unusual looks and eccentric performances are served, and in some show formats there is also a menu. A large portion of glitter and humor cannot be missing when gender boundaries are broken on stage.
Lip sync battle
Jay Miniano as Pinay Colada: “I’m more visible in drag. It allows me to be a voice for others who can’t be as visible and loud.”
(Photo: Raphael Renter)
Things get particularly loud at the “Lovers Lipsync Battle” at Lost Weekend, which Jay Miniano aka Pinay Colada organizes together with guests. At the open stage competition, not only people in drag can perform, but “everyone who wants to have fun and get a taste of the stage,” says the drag queen. In several rounds, the eight participants compete against each other with their rehearsed performances of songs and face the audience, who act as a jury with cards. The lipsync performers are allowed to choose the first song themselves, then they sing along with assigned songs that fit the evening’s motto, such as “Revenge Valentines” or “Germanized”. The person who moves best to the music receives prize money.
Lovers Lipsync Battle, March 16th, Lost Weekend, Schellingstraße 3, Munich, information on Instagram at @loversmunich
Bingo and karaoke
The Prosecco Bar in Munich’s Glockenbachviertel hosts many drag specials.
(Photo: Yoni Cami/Prosecco Bar)
“What was Munich missing? Yes, a drag karaoke!”, drag queen Pasta Parisa announces the new “Karaoke Kitchen” format on the Prosecco Bar’s Instagram account. Since January, karaoke fans have been able to sing their hearts out under the mirrored ceiling in the bar with drag artists on the last Sunday of every month. And the location has even more to offer: How about a bingo evening? On the first Thursday of the month, Tiffy Tölle, Kris Blaq and Daphny Ryan dress up and let the balls roll. There are also prizes to be won here, such as a hairdresser voucher, theater tickets or tickets for the in-house “Mini Puppets Show”. At the show, the ever-changing guests present their art with “a healthy dose of live singing and dragtainment,” according to the announcement. There is also an open drag stage in the epicenter of the Munich scene with “Dein Drag Talent”.
Drag Bingo, first Thursday of every month, 8 p.m.; Drag Karaoke Kitchen, last Sunday of every month, 7 p.m.; “Mini Puppets Show”, every first Sunday of the month; Your Drag Talent, Prosecco Bar, Theklastrasse. 1, reservations by phone 0176/68765190
Colorful show stew
Ruby Tuesday combines drag and burlesque in her stage performances.
(Photo: Nadine Vaders)
A lawyer who does magic, a drag queen who made headlines in 2023 with a drag reading for children and a burlesque performer who is also starting out as a drag king: Markus Laymann, Vicky Voyage and Ruby Tuesday are an unusual trio. The three present their “show stew of good mood” every third Thursday of the month in the bar of the Drehleier Theater. In three show blocks, guests are taken on an exciting journey through the spheres of burlesque, drag, magic and comedy. The entertainers are supported by a variety of colleagues, and you can eat and drink during the breaks.
Ruby Tuesday can not only be seen at “Cabaret con Carne”, but also, together with Perry Stroika, brings together male impersonators from the area every few months for their “Kings of Munich” show at the Theater Drehleier. With a broad program and international guests, she will also be dedicating herself as curator from May 1st to 5th to the drag art of women, trans and non-binary people who are still underrepresented in the scene.
Cabaret con Carne, March 21, 9 p.m.; “Kings of Munich” show, Theater Drehleier, Rosenheimer Str. 123, Munich, tickets at theater-drehleier.de; “Go Drag! Munich” festival, May 1st to 5th, Gasteig, Rosenheimer Straße 5, Munich, information at gasteig.de
Weird brunch
Brunch couldn’t be more exciting than with the accompanying drag show by Dean Deville, Janisha Jones and Pasta Parisa. The “all you can eat” breakfast buffet including welcome champagne quickly becomes a minor matter when the three Munich residents perform “Drag Mimosas” in Café Regenbogen. The restaurant, which employs the long-term unemployed through its integration program, hosts what is probably the weirdest brunch in the city once a month. Demand is high, and those interested should not take too long to make a reservation. For international brunch fans, Pinay Colada, together with Barbie Q, launched the drag brunch “pour decisions” in the Terra Bar. Colada is planning the event with changing guests in the future.
Drag Brunch “Queer Breakfast”, March 12th, Café Regenbogen, Lindwurmstraße 71, Munich, reservation at [email protected]; Drag Brunch “pour decisions”, Terra Bar, Baaderstraße 1, Munich, information on Instagram at @queerinmunich
Mood in the basement
In addition to the “Queer Breakfast”, the Munich-based Janisha Jones and Pasta Parisa also organize the “Wigz” party series at the Milla Club. From midnight onwards, the drag queens heat up the atmosphere in the basement room with their extravagant outfits and performances, before dancing to DJ beats until the early hours of the morning. They are supported on stage and on the dance floor by changing guests who are well-known in the scene. With the party series, the two queer people and their allies want to offer a “safe space” where they can celebrate without worries.
Wigz, Milla Club, Holzstraße 28, Munich, information at milla-club.de
More than dinner
Janisha Jones (left) and Barbie Q organize events in the Oberangertheater as the drag collective “The Porkchops”.
(Photo: Frederico Richiusa/BAOL Visuals)
They call themselves “The Porkchops”, in German “the pork cutlets” and have been regularly inviting people to the drag show dinner of the same name in the Oberanger Theater since October 2023. Barbie Q, who was the first candidate to be eliminated from the reality show “Drag Race Germany”, and friend Janisha Jones combine drag with a curated three-course menu. The plan includes not only culinary delicacies, but also performances by well-known international drag artists. “Drag Race Germany” winner Pandora Nox from Vienna and “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” participant Black Peppa from Birmingham will be traveling to the next dinner on March 21st. The regular ticket price is 75 euros, vegetarian alternatives are available on request. This month the drag collective is also starting its own party series in the Oberangertheater: the “Belly”. The successor in the spirit of the famous “Jenny dances” parties should be a party by the community for the community.
“The Porkchops” drag show dinner, March 21st, 6:30 p.m., “Belly” party series, February 23rd, Oberangertheater, Oberanger 38
Beats for queens
Unusual outfits are welcome at the “Garry Klein” party series in the Rote Sonne.
(Photo: Peter Fleming)
In 2010, the “Garry Klein” party series started in the notorious techno bar “Harry Klein”, and since its closure it has found a new home in the “Rote Sonne” on Maximiliansplatz. Here, too, the queer audience is offered a protected space every Wednesday to let off steam to electronic music, live visuals and pop sounds on the “outdoor private floor”. At midnight, changing queens and kings put on a show. In addition to the comprehensive awareness concept, the club has a social pricing model. Visitors can decide for themselves whether they want to pay the social or fair price of four or ten euros or the usual seven euros in between. This makes drag accessible to everyone.
Garry Klein, every Wednesday, 10 p.m., Rote Sonne, Maximiliansplatz 5, Munich, tickets at red-sun.com