Colorado State University’s annual Drag Show is back after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and organizers and participants can feel the excitement.

The Drag Show, free and open to the public, will be held on April 16 in the Lory Student Center in the Grand Ballroom. Doors will open at 5:10 p.m., with a pre-show starting at 5:30 p.m. and the main show starting at 6 p.m. There will also be a livestream, at col.st/PEosd.

About the CSU Drag Show

The drag show has been a long-standing tradition at CSU. Assistant Residence Director Ayanna Phillips played a key role in leading this year’s efforts in hopes of revitalizing the annual tradition while still honoring the past. As in previous years, the 2022 drag show will be presented by the Pride Resource Center, University Housing and RamEvents.

While the event is entirely free to the public, organizers said they accept tips and donations that go toward scholarships in the Pride Resource Center. “We love that we are able to showcase our community and give back to it as well,” said Phillips.

According to Phillips, the CSU Drag show is a very special event for students within the LGBTQIA+ community.

“They get space to showcase who they are and ‘show up’ whatever that means for them,” Phillips said. “There’s not one way to be queer, but this is one way to do it, so it’s super exciting for that collaboration of people to come together to see space that feels safe, inclusive and it means more because it’s not just spoken it’s action. We are present in this space doing this.” 

Phillips explained that shuttering the show the past two years was tough amidst everything else during the pandemic, noting the void left a significant hole in the community.

“When it did not happen, that really hurt,” Phillips said, “and it was a big gap in the community, so a lot of queer students specifically were talking about how they were not seeing themselves on campus, so that is why I really wanted to get the show going again.”