“Drag has been the front face of our community for many years. You could say that drag queens and kings are the mascots of our community. So what happens when you get 100 of these mascots and put them in one street?” – Will Field

It’s back! Last year’s dress-up pub crawl hit Oxford Street for a fun night featuring dozens of Sydneysiders clumsily clip-clipping on heels – many hadn’t been seen out in drag before (and it showed).

This year the organisers of Drag Jam hope it’ll be even bigger as blokes frock up and ladies stick on their furriest mustaches ready to stagger down the gay golden mile again on Saturday 11 February.

“Last year was amazing!” enthuses the event’s young founder Will Field (pictured below) “We started at Taxi Club with about 15 people and when we got to Stonewall and there was a Drag Explosion of about 90 drag queens!” The Colombian, Stonewall, Taxi Club, Slide, Oxford Hotel and Midnight Shift all opened their doors widely for the colourful gang, with the glamorous Claire De Lune from Slide even supplying a few free drinkies.

“It was great to see so many people getting into the event and caring about our community, including straight people,” Will tells Same Same. “We had drag queens with beards, drag kings with glitter, big hair, fake mos – everyone was really creative. I remember looking around and seeing all the amazing colours and glittery smiles. It really got the message out that Oxford Street is a gay friendly place and that no matter what colour in that rainbow you are or represent, everyone is welcome.”

The police supporting the event on the night made it safe for everyone, and a few cops will return this year. “They were both professional and friendly and were clearly enjoying themselves too.”

Virtually single headedly, Will generated an amazing and creative event which caught our communities’ imaginations,” says Robert Knapman at ACON’s Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project. “I think it really struck a chord and created an accessible and fun opportunity for people to get involved in generating change and addressing GLBTIQ community street safety issues.”

See Same Same’s photos from last year’s event below…

So what does Drag Jam aim to do?

“This year it’s important to build on the first event and make it even bigger and more relevant,” explains Will. “Last year around 100 people got involved but we’d like to triple that.

“The event’s purpose continues to be about promoting community safety and raising awareness, working towards making the streets safer and about maintaining Oxford Street as a GLBTIQ safe and friendly space. I want the people of our community to be able to walk down Oxford Street without fear of verbal and physical abuse, and with ACON’s Anti-Violence Project supporting the event I think this will really work.”

Robert agrees. “We aim to embed Drag Jam within a broader AVP strategy to address community street safety in the Oxford Street area, raising community awareness and knowledge, encouraging people to get support when needed and looking at making Oxford Street a safe GLBTIQ space as an integral part of the AVP’s new Oxford Street Safety Project.

“This will also involve developing a team of Street Safety Ambassadors who will actively promote street safety, community safety strategies and support options during February.”

Join the frocked-up fun

“We aim to get as many people involved as possible,” says Robert of next Saturday night’s Drag Jam. “This includes venues, police, community groups and organisations.

“It’s about having a good time and about being actively involved in contributing to a safer and more resilient community. A community also which looks out for each other.”

“I want to see a horde of kings and queens having a great time,” Will chips in. “This time we have reached out to all the members of our community so we hope to see a lot more people. Come in the drag you feel is drag to you – drag is really very much open to interpretation. I like big things – big hair, big mo’s etc are always fun but this is a time to just be creative. So have fun with it because whatever people do will be amazing while supporting an important community issue.”

Robert sums up: “Be yourself, come or dress with friends, do what feels right for you – because you are all amazing.”

Drag Jam starts at 9pm, Saturday 11 Feb at the Oxford Hotel. Are YOU going? Find more details below and on its Facebook page here.