Desserts-n-Drag: Not Sweet or Flattering

University of Minnesota’s attempt at a Drag event fails to live up to the culture and popularity of the movement

By Ian Knoll

The vibrant and welcoming community of drag has, in modern years, exploded into mainstream recognition with younger audiences, and the Twin Cities has a historic and thriving drag scene. One would think this combination would make the University of Minnesota the perfect spot to host a drag event, but Desserts-n-Drag was just that: a drag.

Hosted by local drag Queens Valencia and Cariño, Desserts-n-Drag was an opportunity for UMN students to have some sweets, play party games, win prizes, and see a few drag performances along the way. The idea of a more casual drag experience has potential (especially for the uninitiated), and what college student doesn’t love free stuff? The problem, however, lies in execution. While the prizes were great for college students (things like essential oils, a crockpot, and a fleece blanket), the games themselves were little more than highschool assembly affairs: the usual stacking marshmallows, eating Oreos off your face, or guessing the price of an item ala “Price is Right.” Lacking any extra panache, these quickly get old.

One would think that the drag performances would be a welcome break, and while this certainly was true, the performers  were woefully underutilized. The energy, dexterity, and overall sexiness of Valencia and Cariño’s performances clearly won over the crowd, but four brief musical numbers in two hours isn’t much, and the venue (a conference center on the upper floors of the Memorial Union) clearly isn’t the ideal space for these queens to strut their stuff. 

Despite what felt like a dull first attempt, I still feel Desserts-n-Drag has the potential to be a great event. The audience is certainly there (the nearly 180 person capacity of the room was filled in minutes), but when nearly half of that audience leaves before the end, the excitement clearly isn’t. My suggestion? Use a more appropriate space (there is an entire stage just a few floors down after all), devise some more active games, and give those queens the chance to really shine. Maybe then, Desserts-n-Drag will be an event worthy of the drag culture that surrounds it.