Drag queens continue their reign in Fayetteville, despite backlash. Where to see shows

Drag is nothing new, but it has been in the spotlight recently as critics organize against the art form and LGBTQ+ people and their allies rally around queens.

Despite pushback, queens continue to bring performances to Fayetteville-area stages. LGBTQ+ leaders say the shows bring visibility and togetherness to the community, which is especially important as openly gay and lesbian clubs disappeared from the area in 2018.

While performances at two Fayetteville bars came to a halt, one longstanding Cumberland County drag troupe marches on and a newer monthly drag show has found a loyal following.

Here’s a look at the drag shows you can see around Fayetteville now.

The Sip Room brings monthly drag brunches to downtown Fayetteville

The Sip Room owner Santina Thomas has worked with drag performer turned producer Adriel Hortiales-Lynch of Opulence Productions to bring drag brunches to her Fayetteville wine bar since September 2022.

After a brief hiatus late last year, the shows returned to the downtown bar in February and have since taken off, with each 50-seat show selling out, Thomas said last week,

“People come in — young, old, white, Black, straight, gay — they have fun, they laugh, enjoy the amazing costumes, the amazing performances,” she said. “Last Saturday truly felt like a movement.”

Hortiales-Lynch said that the shows, which have brought such queens as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season three competitor Stacy Layne Matthews and three-time drag pageant winner Naomi Dix, resonate with a diverse group of attendees.

“There was an 86-year-old lady who said, ‘I love drag queens,’” he said.

Other than the occasional negative social media comment, Thomas and Hortiales-Lynch said they’ve received positive feedback.

Hortiales-Lynch said the future of drag in Fayetteville looks bright.

“Fayetteville needs this,” he said. “I see our drag brunches continuing and being a staple event in the area for people to look forward to.”

Typically held at 1 p.m. on the third or fourth Saturday of the month, brunch and show tickets are $45 and show-only tickets are $20. Mimosas are sold during the show for $5. The next drag brunch is May 18, and tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Carolina Drag Brunch performs at Gaston Brewing Taproom

Carolina Drag Brunch, which bills itself as “Fayetteville’s Original Drag Brunch,” got its start about six years ago at Dirtbag Ales.

The drag group, which also performs in the Triangle, abruptly canceled shows at the Hope Mills brewery early last year after Dirtbag Ales management wanted to move the drag events to Dirty Whiskey Craft Cocktail Bar next door. The move would have reduced the shows’ capacity from 220 to about 70, Carolina Drag Brunch co-owner Alan Domingo told The Fayetteville Observer at the time, and revenue and performer tips would have taken a hit.

Within two weeks, however, Carolina Drag Brunch found a new home at Gaston Brewing Taproom on Chicago Drive in Fayetteville, where they continue to perform monthly. Shows bring performers from throughout the region, including Fayetteville-born queen Tatianna Matthews, based in Wilmington.

Becoming Tatianna: Fayetteville-born drag queen on how she became a full-time performer and what's next

In the last few months, a few of the shows were canceled due to low ticket sales, Carolina Drag Brunch co-owner Joshua Gray-Heim, said Tuesday.

Gray-Heim, who owns and operates J.Co Salon & Blo’Dry Bar in downtown Fayetteville when he's not performing as drag queen Hannah Rae Rinse, said a perfect storm of circumstances led to the cancelations.

Drag opponents reported social media posts where queens promoted the shows, in some cases getting performers' accounts temporarily banned or removed altogether, he said.

In a military town such as Fayetteville, he said, a constant influx and outflux of people means that businesses have to reintroduce themselves every few years. Carolina Drag Brunch experienced a slump as their customer base changed, he said.

Things are starting to look up, Gray-Heim said.

"Now, we’re starting to come out of that cloudiness and we’re seeing numbers go up on social media," he said.

This summer, queens will use the brunch performances to sharpen their acts as they prepare for the Miss Gay Fancy America pageant in Raleigh this September, and Gray-Heim said there are themed brunches planned through the end of the year.

Carolina Drag Brunch plans to expand to other events, like drag dinner and bingo, at other area venues, he said.

Show tickets are $20 or $45 for the show and brunch, which features Southern favorites home-cooked by Domingo’s mother. The next show, which follows a Disney princess theme, is Sunday, and tickets can be purchased at carolinadragbrunch.com.

Are there still drag shows at Dirtbag Ales?

Since Carolina Drag Brunch and Dirtbag Ales parted ways in early 2023, the brewery and the cocktail bar next door have hosted two drag events, according to the business's Facebook event pages.

Dirtbag Ales operating manager Shannon Loper did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

What happened to drag shows at Huske Hardware and Paddy’s Irish Pub?

Huske Hardware Restaurant & Brewing Co. on Hay Street downtown hosted 10 drag events in the two years leading up to its abrupt closure last month. The broker told The Fayetteville Observer that several restaurants have expressed interest in the space, but they would not yet announce what tenant would take over.

Longtime nightlife fixture Paddy’s Irish Pub on Raeford Road hosted drag shows from late 2022 into the spring of 2023, general Manager Erin Burkett said last week. Each performance had an early and a late show, she said, at least one of which would sell out the 80 seats, but eventually Paddy's couldn’t sell enough tickets to continue.

“Our ticket sales just weren’t where they needed to be to cover the overhead and cover the performers,” she said.

Previously: NC House bill targets drag performances

Owner Paddy Gibney blames market saturation for the lack of sales.

“Everybody was doing drag shows at that point,” he said. “They just kind of fizzled out because other venues were doing them.”

Gibney said that he’s no stranger to backlash, especially after his venue The Church drew criticisms from religious groups in 2017, but both he and Burkett said they only remember positive feedback from customers about the drag shows.

“I haven't met people who are mad about it, and if I did, I wouldn’t care,” Gibney said.

Burkett said there’s a chance the bar could bring back drag shows in the future.

“You never know what’s around the corner,” she said.

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Where to see drag shows in Fayetteville, NC