Drag queens set to grace Phillip Island for a weekend of fabulous entertainment

Drag queens are set to descend on Phillip Island for a weekend of entertainment for everyone “from every colour of the rainbow” in the hopes of increasing representation in small towns.

Donna DuTchme set to entertain Phillip Island in August. Picture: Dragged To.

A drag event coming to Phillip Island hopes to bring representation for everyone, “from every colour of the rainbow” to small communities.

The events will be held on the first weekend of August and will include a bingo night, a drag and sip event and a story time and sing-a-long under 18s experience.

Organisers Jareth Richardson and Aaron Clay, who each grew up in small towns, hope the events will show all generations how to be fabulous in their own skin.

“I grew up in a small town called Crib Point and I would have loved to have seen a drag show when I was 18, but it just wasn’t a thing,” Jareth said.

“But to take a show there, knowing how small the town is just blows my mind.”

Their company Dragged To provides a platform for the art of drag by taking it to “corners of the country” it wouldn’t normally go.

The pair say there are challenges, but their goal is to educate people and to represent the LGBT+ community which has to be “seen to be believed”.

Eliza Lot will dazzle Phillip Island in August. Picture: Dragged To.

Kicking off on August 5, Aaron’s drag persona Donna DuTchme will host a night of bingo at the Port Phillip Island Club with prizes and entertainment.

Drinks will be available and guests are invited to bring their own snacks – just not their kids.

Saturday will see a sit-down story time for everyone under the age of 18 and will finish with a sing-a-long.

The song hasn’t been chosen yet, but it’s likely to be a favourite.

“Drag queen story time for us is not about making money, it’s about the representation,” Aaron said.

“It goes back to the kids songs they hear so often, that way they sing a long with them and gain that connectedness which is really important.

“They may not be able to see themselves as a drag queen but they know that there are different things out there for them.”

Drag n Sip will be the final event of the weekend where Donna DuTchme will be joined by Eliza Lot and Amanduh to strut their stuff and keep the crowd entertained all night.

The “overwhelming” community response saw 300 tickets to the night-time events sell out about a month ago, but spots are still available for the story time and sing-a-long.

Plans to return to the Bass Coast in September are on the cards, and they aren’t ruling out another trip to Phillip Island in the near future.

To find out how to book visit Dragged To’s Facebook page and click on events.