Laurier Brantford is inviting its students, staff and faculty, as well as the general public, to its fourth annual Winter’s a Drag event on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
The free event will take place at the Sanderson Centre and feature performances from drag artists Xtacy Love, Manny Dingo, Eboni La’Belle, Lucy Flawless and Destiny Doll.
Presented by the Brantford campus experience lead, and funded by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, Hawk Team, Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association, the event will also have giveaways, a photo booth and meet-and-greet opportunities with the evening’s performers.
Beth Gurney, Laurier Brantford’s Director of Strategic Communications and Community Engagement, said the event was first held back in 2022 after the university decided to give the students something they could look forward to.
“Coming out of the global pandemic, we had done some extensive research with students who came here, and with students who maybe chose a similar program at another institution, just to sort of wrap our heads around what it was about our campus that students loved the most,” said Gurney. “What we learned from that research was that our students love their academic experience at the Brantford campus, they have really unprecedented access to very engaged faculty, as well as their residence life, but that the spaces in between, like their social life, lacked some offerings. We got the sense that students here wanted something to call their own, something they were proud of and could really look forward to and since then, it’s become sort of a calling card marquee event for the campus.”
Gurney went on to say that while the event may have initially been started for students, because the university is still fairly new compared to older and more established institutions, engaging with the community is a big part of what Laurier does and that members of the broader public are encouraged to attend the event.
“The community is part of everything we do and so engaging with the residents, businesses and local organizations to make sure they benefit from this event too is a big priority for us,” said Gurney. “When we first planned this event coming out of the pandemic, we understood that all of the downtown businesses were going through particularly hard times and so that’s why we do things like rent the Sanderson Centre and that’s why we also purchase a lot of our giveaway items from local, independent businesses. Not only are we trying to engage the community in terms of attendance, but we also want to make sure our neighbours and their businesses benefit too.”
Gurney added that something Laurier is proud to say is that not only have they engaged locals, but people in other communities as well.
“We had hoped that the students would bring their out of town friends to the event and we’ve really gotten to achieve that,” she said. “We know from talking to students that over the years their siblings and friends are now coming to Brantford to join them which is wonderful.”
She said no matter if you’re a long time fan of the art of drag, or if it’s something you’ve never had the chance to experience before, audience members can expect a night of entertainment, fun and self-expression.
“Every performer that we have worked with on this show has been really top notch and exceptional so if you’re a fan of the art of drag, you’re obviously going to be really engaged, but if you’ve never been to a drag show before, this a great opportunity to check it out for free and see if you like it,” said Gurney. “I think people will find that it’s really just this inclusive space where the overall message and the feeling in the room is always about celebrating individuality and who you are, and we find that people are leaving with a smile on their face.”
For those interested in attending the event, doors open at 7:00 p.m., the meet-and-greet with the performers will take place at 7:15 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
