Celebrating drag excellence at the first ever Newfoundland Drag Awards

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 16, 2025 4:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Drag queens were dripping with glitz and glamour arsenic they walked the reddish carpet Saturday night for the archetypal ever Newfoundland Drag Awards, held astatine The Rockhouse successful St. John's. 

Dakota Blake, who performs arsenic Misty Manifest, and Dill March formed their ain accumulation company, Dream Haus Productions, and their non-profit, Drag is Art, and enactment disconnected the event.

They felt determination was a request for much show opportunities aft galore performers chose to permission Velvet Night Club — the lone barroom successful the metropolis dedicated to resistance performance — aft it was exposed for the low pay it gave performers on Canada's Drag Race. 

Blake and March's extremity is to empower 2SLGBTQ+ artists successful the state by creating nonrecreational improvement and show opportunities.

The non-profit received funds for the lawsuit from Year of the Arts backing from Newfoundland and Labrador's tourism department. 

March said they were excited to person the accidental to observe resistance excellence. 

"I deliberation that these types of events beryllium for different creator disciplines, but for resistance artists little so," said March. 

Another important portion of the evening for March was the accidental to showcase caller performers done the caller and emerging resistance creator grant category.

"There's not truly excessively galore venues wherever caller performers tin truly effort and trial retired immoderate of their drag. So we're truly excited to showcase immoderate of the caller and emerging talent." said March.

'Be you, beryllium true, beryllium happy.' 

Fifi Fofum, a drag artist of lone seven months, won the new and emerging resistance creator award. She said the grant nighttime was incredible.

"Drag is truthful important, truthful special, particularly successful our satellite close now.," Fofum said. "To observe it connected specified a precocious level is fantastic."

The amusement featured six categories: Most authentic resistance artist, caller and emerging resistance artist, articulator sync assassin, dripping successful opulence, resistance big with the most, and astir creative. 

The nationalist weighed successful on nominations with astir 1,000 submissions. The Drag is Art committee of directors alongside assemblage representatives narrowed down the categories to 10 nominees. Then, a nationalist ballot of 6,000 ballots decided the winners. 

The grant class for the astir authentic resistance creator was successful honour of resistance queen Reign Michaels, who died successful October. Her mother, Roxanne Stacey, presented the grant successful resistance with the signifier sanction "Storm Michaels." 

"I'm precise blessed to beryllium present and I'm precise arrogant to beryllium present successful resistance arsenic Storm," she said, "It's giving maine a transportation that I needed and it's going to assistance with my grieving. So convey you to everyone."

Award victor Ophelia Delight called Reign Michaels a beloved person astatine the awards.

"Be you, beryllium true, beryllium happy'  is the words I unrecorded by each day," Delight said, quoting Michaels.

Coming together, contempt venue loss

For section queen Tara Nova, performed by Lukus Oram-Feltham, the resistance awards were not astir winning. 

"I'm conscionable much truthful blessed that the assemblage is here, that the assemblage is together. This is what we've been pushing for for truthful long."

Drag creator Crystal Queer said she was ecstatic that the assemblage could travel unneurotic contempt losing the Velvet Night Club.

"We person specified a tiny queer assemblage present successful Newfoundland and to spot america each celebrated successful specified a mode that it tin bring each of america unneurotic arsenic a assemblage … it's amazing," said Crystal Queer. 

Performer Karrie Korsette was besides excited the assemblage could travel unneurotic successful the aforesaid space. 

"Despite what has happened successful the erstwhile fewer months, I deliberation the assemblage is much connected present than it's ever been."

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