Last Saturday at Axis Nightclub, something special went down. The fifth annual “Night of 100 Drag Queens” show was hosted by Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) Columbus, which broke the record for the largest drag show in the world. There were actually only 55 performers instead of 100, but that still tops the previous record of 39.
“Drag Queens and Kings took to the stage to complete a 5:30 group routine to the classic Weather Girls song, It’s Raining Men, choreographed by Mark Bryan,” said Keith Speers, Director of Marketing, Public Relations & Communication for GSWS Columbus. “GSWS Columbus must now submit their evidence of the performance to Guinness World Records for verification. If successful, the GSWS Columbus submission will surpass the current record of 39 Drag Queens by 16.”
[CLICK HERE to view a photo gallery from Saturday’s show]
Speers noted that the verification process can take up to 12 weeks once the evidence is received, but is confident that all of the official steps have been taken to ensure the acceptance of the event by Guinness.
The benefit of Saturday’s event was had an immediate result as well, as it raised $13,000 for the nonprofit group, which is in charge of coordinating and producing the 2015Â NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series event, which takes place at Berliner Fields from August 15 through 22 next year. Columbus hosted the 2010 edition of the event, which generated a $5 million economic spending impact for the city.
“It was unbelievable to see all of these people come together to be a part of this event and a part of this moment,” said local drag queen icon Nina West, who co-hosted the event. “When we heard that Seattle had submitted an attempt at the record with 42 drag queens, I knew we could totally beat that in Columbus.”
Seattle’s attempt was rejected by Guinness, but if the Columbus record is confirmed, there is likely to be a party to celebrate the occasion.
“IÂ hadn’t really thought about that, but we’ll probably get everyone back together and celebrate and perform the number one more time,” West said.
“Actually, yes, we’re sure throw a party!” she added with a laugh.
For additional information on the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association, and the upcoming World Series 2015 event, visit www.clgsa.com.
Photo by RayLaVoie.com.