The honeymoon is over for Twinks vs. Dolls.
Following the announcement of the fifth annual New York City-based competition — a viral live performance which pits young gay men against trans women in events like “cigarette races” — backlash is growing over its move from a Brooklyn venue to the Palladium Times Square in Manhattan.
“WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER, WE’RE GOING TO TIMES SQUEAR!,” Singers Bar, the Bedford-Stuyvesant watering hole that sponsors the event, wrote on Instagram, alongside a rat emoji. “THIS OFF-OFF-OFF MYRTLE-BROADWAY SENSATION IS GOING TO THE BIG TIME! TICKETS FOR THE 5TH ANNUAL TWINKS VS DOLLS OLYMPICS PRESENTED BY SINGERS ARE ON SALE NOW!”
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Although the post said that tickets start at $50, the only tickets available on the event’s Ticketmaster page as of this writing began at $70 for seats in the mezzanine, with floor tickets costing a hefty $89. Beneath the Instagram announcement, several people criticized the event for its pricey tickets and the move to Manhattan.
“they will be studying TvD’s crazy fall off in american classrooms for decades to come,” one person wrote.
“$75 for a trans/queer centered event is COMPLETELY insane btw,” another person wrote. While another said, “Those prices are yikes ….”
“Used to be my favorite event of the year but this is notttt the vibe,” a fourth person said.
Yet another critic said that holding the event in Manhattan seemed to be a departure from the spirit of the competition, which has developed a reputation for being campy and low-budget.
“this is like having bushwick pride in chelsea,” one Instagram user wrote.
Many people in the comments said that their faith in the event had been shaken following the mismanagement of the 2025 proceedings, where patrons reported waiting several hours past the scheduled start time.
“Last year was the worst event I’ve ever been to. It’s not worth it,” one person wrote. Another said, “Hoping this is more organized than last year and doesn’t start 4 hours late.”
Paper magazine’s write up of the 2025 event confirmed that, while doors opened at 12, the show did not start until 5 p.m., partly due to a medical emergency behind the scenes.
“We don’t have a rule that we always have to do it bigger. We want to do it better and we’re close to finding a happy medium where we can have a DIY aesthetic, but not a DIY production,” Mike Guisinger, co-owner of Singers, told Paper at the time. “We’re learning how to do it.”