Supernova-strength energy filled up the observation deck of the Seattle Space Needle on November 3, as local drag queens performed there for the first time ever in the building's 61 years of existence.
The "Queens of the Cosmos" event brought out well-known performers — including Irene (the Alien) Dubois, MyAikõ, Miss Texas 1988, and Arrietty — and their interstellar realness to entertain the enthusiastic crowd about 520 feet above Seattle Center.
A blend of attendees' voices, both cheerful and social, anticipated the arrival of Dubois, the host of the evening, who soon announced the start of the performances.
The diverse crowd of all ages included some who just happened to have bought general admission tickets at exactly the right time. Regardless of those coincidentally showing up, there came a wave of applause and cheers as each queen swept their way through their performances, including a few by Dubois herself.
A private employee-only event a month prior, at Chihuly Garden and Glass, also hosted by Dubois, inspired the marketing team to capture the same excitement for visitors to the Space Needle.
"It was just a matter of, well, we know great queens in Seattle. We know that our guests and our team members would love to see it happen, [so] we said, 'Let's go for it,'" said Randy Coté, CMO of the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Bringing Dubois back was a no-brainer for the team. She left strong a impression on those who had attended her shows in Capitol Hill, and has become more well known as a contestant on season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race, which has propelled certain aspects of drag culture into the mainstream.
As Coté said, this "brings in the sort of casual, non-LGBTQ+ people who know about drag or [enjoy it]. So I think [Dubois] also brings in some notoriety. [Having] queens from across the Seattle scene is important to us, to highlight everyone."
Event tickets and drinks benefited the Gender Justice League, a Washington-based nonprofit whose goal is to fight for human rights, especially those of Trans and gender-nonconforming people. The organizers felt that it was an important cause that needed to be highlighted.
The team at the Space Needle hope to keep the support going when it comes to LGBTQ+-oriented events.
"This is the [way] we show our pride year round, not just during the month of June. We'll keep listening to our guests, our visitors, our locals, our employees on how they want to celebrate and see the community reflected in the Space Needle," Coté said, beaming.
He also shared how this is "such a reflection of people who work inside and the visitors who ... really reflect the Seattle community. And so ... we'd love to see more [events like this]."