MAINSTREETERS: DRAG BALL

After a 30-year hiatus, the legendary Mainstreeters Dragball that transformed Mt. Pleasant made a comeback, featuring Vancouver’s best drag queens, DJs, performers, and Vera Wong as the outrageous Mistress of Ceremonies. The event was co-presented by The Grunt Gallery, and was a total hit: drag queens and kings of all ages came out to celebrate the Mainstreeters' radical legacy at the Fox Cabaret. 

From 1977 to 1985, the Mainstreeters’ Dragballs began as intimate studio events, developing into elaborate art parties with spectacular décor, performances, and DJs. Shaping an important chapter in Vancouver’s history, the Mainstreeters — including Winsor Gallery artists Paul Wong and Charles Rea — were an “art gang” of East Van rebels who were fearlessly open about their work, sexualities, and lifestyles, helping to build a Warhol Factory-like scene that still resonates today. 

Learn more about The Mainstreeters. 

Paul Wong and escorts at the fifth annual Drag Ball held at the NDP Hall, 4603 ½ Main Street, December 19, 1980, Courtesy of Mary Janeway

 

Charles Rea at the fifth annual Drag Ball, held at the NDP Hall, 4603 ½ Main Street, December 19, 1980, Courtesy of Mary Janeway