{"id":189016,"date":"2026-04-08T00:18:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/189016\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T00:18:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:18:45","slug":"ranking-the-top-10-u-s-cities-with-the-best-drag-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/189016\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the top 10 U.S. cities with the best drag culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drag culture<\/a> is intrinsically linked to the queer community, with drag queens and kings not only serving fierce looks and entertainment but also being among the most visible members of LGBTQ<\/a>+ culture. <\/p>\n

At a time when Drag Queen Story Hour<\/a> is under attack and gender expression that doesn\u2019t meet societal standards of heteronormativity is being policed around the clock, it is more important than ever that everyone supports their local drag scene.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be making a political statement while having a blast. What\u2019s not to love? Luckily, adult toy company Lovehoney<\/a> has created a handy list of the top U.S. cities with the best drag scenes<\/a> for you to visit.<\/p>\n

To make their list, Lovehoney looked at the 50 most populous cities in the country, and scored each one \u201cacross nine indicators tied to visibility, LGBTQ+ nightlife, community infrastructure, entertainment access, and the local policy environment\u201d to determine the 10 cities with the best drag culture. And, of course, they turned out to be some of the most liberal cities in America.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrag is equal parts art, community, glamour, comedy, and pure self-expression,\u201d Lovehoney said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty perfect excuse for a trip. One great show can turn into a whole weekend of late nights, drag brunches, and venue-hopping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to find out more about the best U.S. cities for drag culture.<\/p>\n

10. Denver<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queens at Denver Pride.<\/p>\n

Helen H. Richardson\/MediaNews Group\/The Denver Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Denver may not have quite as many upcoming drag events as Los Angeles, but it has almost as many same-sex households as San Francisco. The City by the Bay has 2.96 percent, while Denver boasts 2.26 percent.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 69.3 out of 100<\/p>\n

9. Buffalo<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queen high-fiving a man at Buffalo Pride.<\/p>\n

Val Dunne Photography\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Buffalo might not be a big urban center like it\u2019s neighbor NYC, but it still has a thriving drag scene that is worth seeking out on your next East Coast trip.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 69.9<\/p>\n

8. Providence<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queens in Providence, R.I.<\/p>\n

Anthony Ricci\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Lovehoney called Providence, Rhode Island, their \u201csmall city, big density\u201d pick, since the city has the highest gay-bar density of any place in the study.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 72.0<\/p>\n

7. Seattle<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queens in Seattle, Wash. <\/p>\n

Oscar C. Williams\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Seattle may be best known for its coffee and rain, but you should start thinking of it as a drag destination since it hosts a mix of drag events and a thriving queer community.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 73.6 <\/p>\n

6. New York City<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bThe<\/p>\n

The Dragon Sisters in New York City.<\/p>\n

Arturo Holmes\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

New York City manages to have a huge number of live performances, with the highest number of theater companies and dinner theaters hosting drag events. The City That Never Sleeps also boasts the most Drag Race contestants of any state in the study.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 74.2<\/p>\n

5. Las Vegas<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queen in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n

Kobby Dagan\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Of course, Las Vegas made it high on this list since it\u2019s known for its amazing and vibrant nightlife. So get out of the casino because the Neon City has a bunch of drag performances for you to enjoy and more gay bars than places like Los Angeles and Portland.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 75.2<\/p>\n

4. Boston<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bDrag<\/p>\n

Drag queen bingo in Boston, Mass.<\/p>\n

Rick Friedman\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Boston not only has a huge number of drag events going on year round, but also has so many same-sex households it comes close to rivaling San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 76.3<\/p>\n

3. Los Angeles<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bAlaska<\/p>\n

Alaska Thunderfuck at DragCon LA.<\/p>\n

DVSROSS\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Los Angeles has the highest number of drag events of any city the study looked at, which makes sense considering it\u2019s the home of DragCon LA and the primary filming location for Drag Race.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 84.4<\/p>\n

2. Portland<\/p>\n

\"Drag<\/p>\n

Drag queens in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

Png Studio Photography\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Portland, Oregon, was the runner-up because there are so many upcoming drag events that you\u2019ll have a ton to choose from when you go out on the town.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 86.5 <\/p>\n

1. San Francisco<\/p>\n

\"Drag<\/p>\n

Drag queens in San Francisco, Calif.<\/p>\n

Sheila Fitzgerald\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

San Francisco got a perfect score from Lovehoney because it has \u201cLGBTQ+ visibility, nightlife density, and a busy Eventbrite drag calendar.\u201d The city has a high number of upcoming drag events, gay bars, and same-sex households.<\/p>\n

Lovehoney score: 100<\/p>\n

Don’t forget to tip!<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drag culture is intrinsically linked to the queer community, with drag queens and kings not only serving fierce…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1358,75826,10584,75827,75828,9,24,63,122,124,123,37182],"class_list":{"0":"post-189016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-drag","9":"tag-drag-kings","10":"tag-drag-queens","11":"tag-lgbtq-culture","12":"tag-lgbtq-nightlife","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-queens","17":"tag-queens-headlines","18":"tag-queens-news","19":"tag-queer-community"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}