Fourth Annual Pulpito Drag Derby Competition and Block Party Thomas Swale - Vallarta Pride
May 11, 2017

The Púlpito Drag Derby: two hours of fun and fabulousness – part drag fashion-show, part kick-ass competition, part block-party, 100% entertaining!

As many as twenty Drag Queens will race for 8,000 pesos in cash prizes, compete in six crazy Challenges, and Lip-Sync for their lives, in their quest to win the coveted ‘Ruby Tacon’ (High Heel) Trophy!

Be part of the 1,000+ crowd on Friday, May 26, starting at 6:00 pm, at the intersection of Púlpito & Olas Altas, just up from Los Muertos Beach in the heart of Amapas.

The fun starts at six! Bet on your favorite Drag Queen, and win 3 x your bet in Púlpito Pesos, good for food and drink at most local bars and restaurants!

Calle Púlpito, at the foot of the Pinnacle Funicular, will be closed to traffic between Olas Altas and Amapas, so neighbors and visitors can fill the street, bet on the Derby winner, and buy drinks and souvenir t-shirts, while the Drag Queens take to the sidewalks – wouldn’t want anyone to break a heel on those cobblestones!

Starting at 6:00 pm, Contestants will face off, two at a time, as they Lip-Sync For Their Lives while our three-member panel of Expert Judges rates them on performance, fabulousness, and the boldness & originality of their interpretation of this year’s ‘military’ theme.

Then, the actual ‘Drag Race’ begins in earnest as the Drag Contestants rock around the block, racing against the clock and each other, stopping along the way for six wildly different physical-comedy Challenges, including ‘The 40-foot Crinoline Climbing Wall;’ ‘Watch Your Step,’ balancing a tipsy Martini on a tray; the 10 lb. ‘Handbag Toss;’ last year’s favorite ‘Donald Trump Pinata Bash;’ plus our ‘Squirt Gun Moving-Target Shooting Gallery’ and ‘Splash!’  which features a hot guy in a white t-shirt, a bucket of cold water suspended overhead, and three chances to soak him for serious points!

The winner – based on Lip-Syncing, Challenges, Time, Fabulousness and Originality – will be presented with the coveted ‘Ruby Tacon’ Trophy, and 5,000 pesos in cash. Second Prize is 2,000, and Third Prize is 1,000.

You can place bets of 100, 200, or 500 pesos on any of the Drag Contestants to win. And a winning bet pays off handsomely: three times the value of the bet in Púlpito Pesos, good for food and drink at participating local bars and restaurants.

‘Off-track’ betting and t-shirt sales will be available at the ANA office (Hotel San Marino, Rodolfo Gomez 111/3) and at selected local bars and restaurants, beginning Friday, May 19. So support your local Drag Queens: bet early, and bet often!

The competition may be cut-throat, but all proceeds go to new planters, landscaping, decorative street lights and trash containers for the Púlpito area.

Founding Sponsor Amapas Neighborhood Association is organizing the Derby again this year, with special thanks to our Overall Sponsor, Purchasing Solutions, for their generous support, Ron Morgan Properties for sponsoring our special-edition ‘camouflage’ Púlpito Drag Derby t-shirts, and Pinnacle Resorts for providing 8,000 pesos in cash prizes for our winners.  

Local businesses also sponsor individual Drag Contestants and our seven Challenges, as well as providing support by accepting Púlpito Pesos for food and beverage purchases throughout June.

Remember, The Fun Starts At Six: Friday, May 26, at the intersection of Calle Púlpito and Olas Altas.  The Púlpito Drag Derby is part of Vallarta Pride 2017.

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