GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — World of Winter -- the largest winter festival in the nation -- continues in downtown Grand Rapids, and Saturday, hosted a special, free event at Calder Plaza.
It was a drag show like no other called “Winter’s a DRAG,” but it proved quite the opposite.
“All bets are off, honestly. Yeah, there’s no rules. I would just say it’s a lot of fun. It’s good music. You come, you dance – even if you’re good, bad, whatever – who cares? Everybody just kind of accepts that it’s a fun day,” Madison Hoffmann, an attendee, told FOX 17.
Queens from Michigan Drag Brunch sashayed into the spotlight Saturday for people of all ages to enjoy.
“Parents have their kids on their shoulders, which I think is absolutely amazing to get kids so accustomed to it,” Hoffmann added.
“It’s seriously so important for the future generations to understand equality and acceptance. It’s just, it’s so positive and beautiful that the drag queens and what they represent is so near and dear to us, so we just wanted to share that with our little one, too,” James Krueger, another attendee, said.
Not only was it a day filled with fun, but also, it’s all for a great cause.
All drink purchases from Saturday’s event will go toward AYA Youth Collective.
The nonprofit that supports youth experiencing homelessness says 40% of the 14-to-24-year-olds that reach out for services are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Youth who identify as LGBTQ+, there is an overrepresentation of youth sleeping outside than that in Grand Rapids. And it’s for 1,000 reasons, but some are getting kicked out of their homes. Some are not feeling safe and some for a variety of other reasons,” AYA Youth Collective Vice President of Advancement Andy Allen said.
AYA Youth Collective raised around $6,000 at Saturday’s event.
“We care deeply about empathy, about relationships, about belonging so that you can find stability and be a part of the community that we all know and love here in Grand Rapids,” Allen added.
World of Winter kicked off on January 12 and runs through March 10.
Click here for the full calendar of events.
