200) Lady Havokk
Brooklyn’s fiercely fashionable queen owns her Aspergers, as she reads you to filth and destroys the physical venue she’s performing in all at once. These days you can catch her at Macri Park.
199) Hystee Lauder
When they’re not Door Goddessing at Bizarre Bushwick, this performance artist’s specialty is making you squirm.
198) Gary Carmichael
The only drag king to frequent Manhattan venues, and one of the very few to interpret a male drag character without relying on elements of burlesque – Gary was everywhere in 2017. He’s even guested for Jackie Reloaded at Bizarre Bushwick a few times.
197) Christina Ashton
With a fun new Boots & Saddle Sunday happy hour show and a brand-spanking new Miss West Village crown, the un-retired Cher-o-phile proves that a queen can have a divine second act.
196) Poppy
This wistful and wholly original newcomer to drag already has a monthly show at the West End after winning a cycle of the Ultimate Drag Pageant. Oh, and her winning mashup depicting the rise and fall of a cult leader for Halloween’s Lady Liberty competition at the Ace Hotel was one of the year’s most memorable and narrative performances.
195) Ty’s Bar
The small, cruisy and friendly West Village dive turned 45 in 2017, and remains a hot spot for hanging out (and hooking up) with the neighborhood bears. Favorite bartender: Julian (pictured on the right), who keeps goth and new wave alive in the Village with his Sunday night video mixes.
194) Lauren Ordair
She brought the house down when she guest performed for a round of the Miss Lady Liberty pageant at the Ace Hotel. If you haven’t heard this Lips powerhouse belt out Celine, Adele or any number of our sacred divas, get thee immediately to her Thursday night show at the Duplex. Lauren is the best (and most underrated) singing queen in the city.
193) John-John Punki
A frequent winner of leather contests, this gogo boy and event producer proves you don’t need a six pack to rock a g-string.
192) Dezi 5
This soulful singer & musician made his mark in 2017 with several remarkable performances all over the city.
191) Viktor Devonne
White Elephant Burlesque’s Clown Prince gathers the best in the biz for the city’s most gleefully eclectic Wednesday night, at Rockbar.
190) T-Boy
The beloved old school DJ is known for his breezy report with the Boots & Saddle drag queens he supports on most of that bar’s nights, as well as for his fetish-chic fashion sense. The latter serves him well in the sexy
Mikhail Torich -directed music videos he’s been putting out lately.
189) Suzie Hart
A teacher by day, this event producer and host brings an eccentric intelligence to her colorful, throwback club looks. Check the monthly events she hosts at Club Cumming and Metropolitan Bar.
188) Jacqueline Dupree
Manhattan’s most visible drag karaoke hostess keeps it real at Boxers HK, Suite, and The Toolbox, and still finds time to serenade us monthly Fridays at Stonewall.
187) GYM Sportsbar
This longtime Chelsea staple is where the manly men go to play… although in 2017, they did offer their weekly drag show debut when
Loretta Stoned hosted the house viewing party of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
186) Nick DZart
Club kid, drag queen, in-demand makeup artist and new resident weekend hostess at the Ritz, Nick’s also been taking his flawless Lady Gaga illusion act to Lucky Cheng’s for some well-received shows.
185)
Shay D’Pines & Angel Elektra
It ain’t easy being a queen, let alone a Westchester-based drag couple. But these two have been hustling like crazy, and in 2017 it all paid off. Now with weekly and monthly shows at Rockbar and frequent guest spots at Boots & Saddle and other bars all over Manhattan, the fun these two have while performing is infectious.
184) Ninth Avenue Saloon
One of the few attitude-free haunts in HK, this narrow dive has been a friendly gayborhood destination for decades. It’s also become the secret favorite spot of off-duty drag queens when the just want to unwind.
183)
Please somebody give this one-of-a-kind queen a show! With gowns pulled together from literal garbage and mop heads for wigs, her gory horror numbers, children’s book reading and interactive Mad Libs make for an incomparable nightlife experience.
182)
Known for her “Cocktails & Contours” Facebook Live webcast, catch this day journalist and mermaid with legs for days hosting a monthly drag show at Rockbar, plus their weekly trivia night.
181) Aquaria
Famous for her creative and beautiful drag looks she sports on Instagram and on the floors of megaparties from the likes of Susanne Bartsch and Ladyfag, Sharon Needles’ drag daughter can also turn an intelligent, fun mix when it’s called for. Rumor has it (duh) she’ll be taking it all to the next level in 2018.
180) Prada G. Major
It’s no small thing to have the longest-running show with a consistent timeslot (Saturdays at 8) at the drag factory that is Boots & Saddle, but this fierce dance queen keeps turning it out. Multiple sclerosis has not slowed her down one bit… in fact, her MS benefit show has become an annual highlight of West Village drag.
179) CT Hedden
This disturbingly gorgeous club kid (and Aquaria’s bestie) is getting some well-deserved attention of his own, hosting a weekly soiree at Rebar.
178) Lady Simon
After laying low for a bit, Brooklyn’s favorite angry/sad club kid and performing artist returned with a vengeance in 2017, turning numbers and looks frequently in all the borough’s flagship venues.
177)
2016′s winner of “So You Think You Can Drag” has made Boots & Saddle her home via a weekly happy hour kiki. But it’s her classic diva illusions and lavish Broadway numbers that she brings to a variety of cabaret and big stage shows that have made Vicky a go-to entertainer.
176) DJ
Tikka Masala
This wise and worldly DJ is a favorite resident of ladybar Henrietta Hudson, specializing in Eastern and Caribbean beats. You can also find her spinning throughout Brooklyn, in spots like Project Parlor and Friends & Lovers.
175)
She’s mostly behind the bar these days (at Stonewall and Boots & Saddle), but this newly married queen and Ari Kiki’s drag child still turns a ki monthly at Stonewall, and frequently guest performs all over the city.
174) Yamil X
The spicy event producer of the Haus of Xtravaganza got the party started in venues like ER Bar, The Monster and POSH.
173) Barrage Bar
This tiny, trendy HK bar with a little Latin flavor has become a favorite spot for the boys who enjoy ogling their impossibly sexy barstaff. Their monthly Fiesta Latina is also a popular destination for the Thirsty.
172)
The ex-gogo boy and Ariana Grande enthusiast and dance queen recently landed a popular weekly Sunday night show at Vodka Soda / Bottoms Up.
171)
Serving shows all over Philly and Jersey, this completely hilarious queen serves us NY’ers monthly at Rockbar, and even dropped a funny, timely track / video, “BabaSHOOK.”
170) Gage of the Boone
The curator of Ridgewood’s Spectrum at the Dreamhouse – a DIY party and surrealist installation all at once – continues to bring some of the most talked about events (and looks) to the Brooklyn scene, while also popping up as a host in events like Bartschland’s “On Top.”
169)
When Twitter revealed that a photo of this bearded queen was co-opted into a banner of hate by a neo-Nazi during the Charlottesburg riots, Brooklyn’s Ms. Ter only got fabulously fiercer in her performances. Catch her weekly at Macri Park, and monthly co-hosting “Failure” at Bizarre Bushwick.
168) Judy Darling
Despite needing a lot of personal time off this year, no one can deny the beauty and talent of this sharply funny and intensely creative witch queen when she graces the Barracuda stage with her co-host Miz Cracker, or when she turns it at the Ritz with the girls of TURNt. We hope to see a lot more of her in 2018!
167)
When this makeup artist donned drag and competed in this year’s Miss Barracuda, everything fell into place. Catch this dancing thirst trap Fridays at Atlas, and as part of Maddelynn Hatter’s new Sunday ensemble at Rebar.
166) POSH Bar & Lounge
One of the city’s more polarizing bars, this HK happy hour and dance party destination is nonetheless beloved by its regulars. And hot damn, their lovely bar staff makes for some amazing eye candy.
165) Lilith LeFae & Princess Bitch
The co-hosts of Boots & Saddle’s wildly popular early Friday night show are still going strong. Additionally Lilith, who was crowned Miss Boots & Saddle last year, got her own solo Monday show in 2017.
164)
Beginning his NY career hosting events at the House of Yes, Drag king and ladykiller Wang now hosts a monthly Asian drag revue at Bizarre Bushwick with Emi Grate. In 2017 he appeared in Gregory Kramer’s “DRAGS” photo book, and co-hosted its epic release party.
163) Kimmi Moore
The former weekend hostess at the Ritz turned it out with her own show at Cherry’s this summer, and has slayed us as one half of drag duo The Assassins (with fellow Cherry’s queen Boudoir LeFleur) for a few recent gigs. And on top of that, she raps on a new track with Jayse Vegas and Kareem McJagger!
162) Misty Mountains
This relatively new queen is grabbing all the gigs near the end of 2017, including weekly shows at Rebar and Rockbar, and a December Stonewall Invasion.
161)
A prolific artist and drag queen with trademarked Very Long Braids, Brooklyn’s Patti Spliff brings an incredibly diverse and eclectic musical / visual aesthetic (even by Brooklyn’s standards) to the stage. She appeared in a recent edition of her judy Sasha Velour’s “NIGHTGOWNS,” and currently hosts “Sad Songs” monthly at the Rosemont.
160) DJ JCLEF
A rising star in queer nightlife, the professionally versatile JCLEF is one of the rare DJs equally at home in Brooklyn, Hell’s Kitchen, the West Village and beyond, backing drag shows and spinning circuit parties.
159)
Cheer New York’s resident pint-sized Hawaiian dancing drag diva upped her profile big time this year with a monthly Stonewall happy hour show, a brand new Boots & Saddle weekly, a strong showing at the Miss Boots & Saddle pageant, and performances all over the place.
158) Busted
Few people are committed to being a hot mess queen more than this Cherry’s all-star, who additionally began hosting a popular weekly Pieces show this year. Hilariously consistent in a striped wrap dress and grey-blond bob wig, Busted also appeared in a few scripted cabarets with the McKeever siblings at the Laurie Beechman Theatre these past few seasons.
157)
Qhrist With a Q & Sherry Poppins
This young pair of emo queens, accompanied by DJ Ten Yards, have quickly created one of Brooklyn’s favorite destinations for new, eclectic drag variety: Str8 to DVD, monthly Mondays at Gold Sounds.
156) Jayse Vegas
This completely adorbs singer / songwriter performed in nearly every benefit show in the city (and there were a LOT this year), not to mention any venue or show that would have him. And it’s paid off – he’s a GLAM nominated Male Performer this year, and his songs, videos and images have been absorbed by thousands.
155) Sherry Pie
In 2017, the Ritz’s shot girl become a main player in Wednesday night’s revue TURNt. Her unique blend of campy horror and bawdy humor won her the Miss Barracuda crown, and now she’s also hosting a weekly night karaoke and movie screenings Mondays at Rebar.
154)
She doesn’t have her own show yet, but God save the queen who books this ferocious entertainer to guest in their shows – she will steal it from you in a mere four minute number. An amazing dancer with a growing diversity of looks and inspirations, she is taking no prisoners while earning everybody’s awe and respect.
153) Emi Grate
The founder of Bizarre Buswick’s monthly “A+” all Asian drag revue has taken her time to find a groove since dismissing herself early from the “So You Think You Can Drag” competition in 2016. But found it she has… and of course it was in Brooklyn all along. Catch her hosting other monthly and pop-up shows all over the borough, and turning in socially charged performances wherever she can.
152) Vic Sin
The popular bearded Brooklyn burlesquer is now co-hosting a night of naughty Vaudevillian variety at Bizarre Bushwick: “Sinner’s Kit Kat Cabaret.”
151) Ruby Fox
This severely chic, dangerously pretty dance diva came out of nowhere in 2017 and took Brooklyn’s The Rosemont by storm. She made her mark as one of the borough’s favorite new queens, and this winter hosted her fabulous birthday bash at The Deep End in Ridgewood.
Thotyssey 