'Drag-a-thon' in Portland, Oregon, claims world record for longest drag show
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Performers in Portland, Oregon, hit the stage Monday for 48 hours straight, breaking a world record for the longest drag show, while also encouraging acceptance.
The two-day "Drag-a-thon" was hosted at Darcelle’s, an iconic drag cabaret in Old Town, a cultural hub in northwest Portland’s Chinatown, according to KGW-TV, a local NBC affiliate. The event featured more than 60 performers and 600 songs, alongside 60 emcees.
“Today in Portland, Oregon, USA, you had a time of 48 hours, 11 minutes and 30 seconds, and you have the new Guinness World Record title,” the announcer said, certifying the record Wednesday afternoon, as confetti rained over a boisterous crowd. The show started Monday afternoon and ended just after 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The previous world record for longest drag show was 36 hours, 36 minutes and 40 seconds and was achieved by an event hosted in Melbourne, Australia, in 2017.
Performers at the show celebrated the success and spoke of the importance of having this kind of showing during the current political climate and influx of anti-drag laws in dozens of states across the United States.
“This is the time for us all to stand together, let the world know that in America, we are free to be exactly who we are,” Bolivia Carmichaels, a drag performer, told KGW-TV. “There are so many fantastic queens, local and from around the nation that came together just for this event.”
The drag show attracted more than 2,500 attendees. Wildfang, a Portland-based queer apparel company, and Darcelle’s raised more than $250,000 for The Trevor Project, an organization supporting LGBTQ youth in crisis.
“I swear the only city that could have pulled this off is Portland. The only place that people are going to come out at 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. to watch a drag show is Portland,” said Emma Mcilroy, Drag-a-Thon producer and Wildfang CEO.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
