4 fabulous spots to get your drag fix in Shanghai

Photograph: courtesy The Pearl

From regular film screenings and workshops to apps and organisations dedicated to Shanghai’s queer scene, there’s a huge network for Shanghai’s queer community to connect. Not surprisingly, drag is a big part of that community. For your fill of all things drag, check out these places. 

The Pearl

Photograph: courtesy The Pearl

Tucked away in Hongkou district, The Pearl is a three-storey events and performance space with a 1930s vibe. The classy venue hosts a gamut of events from rock concerts to cabaret to movie nights to musicals, and of course, all that drag. Every few months you can look forward to one of the theatre’s wildly extravagant drag shows and parties, which welcome all forms of drag performance – rookies, veterans, kings, queens and all in between. And it's your lucky weekend – the next drag show, Drag-Tacular, is happening tonight (Sat 2). 

📍The Pearl, 471 Zhapu Lu, near Wujin Lu. Sat 2. 9-11pm. 220RMB.

Lucca 390

Photograph: courtesy Lucca 390

Queer bar/club/lounge Lucca 390 is located right in the middle of Shanghai’s gaybourhood. The venue has what you’d expect of a club – DJs, booze, shirtless bartenders, muscular go-go dancers… the usual. Drag shows are sporadic here and generally feature only a select number of queens, though the place also holds an annual drag competition with a more diverse pool of contestants. Given the bar’s proximity to other queer-friendly venues like Happiness 42, feel free to go out and paint the town rainbow.

📍Lucca 390, 390 Panyu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. Follow WeChat ID ‘LuccaLounge’ for event information.

Candor

Photograph: courtesy Candor 

Decked out from wall to wall in velvety red, Candor’s intimate space lets the audience get up close and personal with performers, who are usually of the burlesque, jazz or cabaret variety. Once a month, however, the venue puts on a drag show with a few of Shanghai’s well-known queens. Kick back with one of the bar’s bold, hard-hitting cocktails and enjoy the show, then mingle with the queens afterward. This place is great for people looking to dive headfirst into the drag show experience. 

📍Candor, Third Floor, Lyceum Theatre, 57 Maoming Nan Lu, near Changle Lu. Search for official WeChat account 'Candor' to find out when the next show is.

V Spot

Photograph: courtesy Chris Crerar

There’s a lot going on at V Spot – it’s an adult toy store, a wine bar, a dance studio and an art gallery all in one. The multi-functional venue holds burlesque and pole dancing classes, among others. As for drag, here you’ll find not shows, but rather workshops, run by drag king extraordinaire Dorian T Fisk. The free workshops are open to people of any gender or sexual orientation and allow participants to experiment with different interpretations of gender while learning the basics of drag performance.

📍V Spot, Fifth Floor, 218 Xinle Lu, near Donghu Lu. Follow WeChat ID ‘DKNSTRKT’ to find out when the next workshop is.

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