Auckland Pride extends invitation to RuPaul and Drag Race team to get involved

Monday, 11 January 2021

Auckland Pride - Our March had 7000 people marching up Queen St in Auckland's CBD celebrating their community.

The team behind Auckland Pride 2021 is hoping the arrival of d rag queen RuPaul Charles in the city, could mean an appearance during its annual celebrations.

Director of Auckland Pride Max Tweedie said at this stage there hadn’t been any plans for Charles to join the Pride festivities, but it wasn’t completely ruled out.

“We have reached out to his team, but we haven’t heard anything back. So at this stage we just don't know.

“It would be amazing to have RuPaul and his team involved in the programme.”

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RuPaul Charles is currently in a managed isolation facility in Auckland.

Tweedie said it would mean a lot to event organisers and the city’s drag artists if Charles was involved with Pride.

“What I love about our drag shows is it’s not your classic drag – we have some acts highlighting non-binary and gender non-conforming drag.

“We have such a smorgasbord of drag to show off and I think it would mean a lot to all of us for RuPaul to see that.”

Charles is currently in managed isolation after entering the country to film the ‘Down Under' edition of the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

It is believed the producers moved the filming from Sydney, Australia, to the City of Sails for Covid-related reasons, with the latest New South Wales outbreak causing concern.

It’s likely the show will put a number of local drag queens on the world stage, given reports it will feature talent from both New Zealand and Australia.

Auckland Pride is holding a series of events across the month of February throughout the city, and with more than 200 items on the calendar it’ll be the biggest year yet for the festival.

A guide to some of the events can be found here.