PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON LEAVY

Bushwig only happens once a year. Which totally sucks! What began as a backyard soirée of hours worth of drag-shows has ballooned into an internationally stamped festival showcasing the many modes of drag. New York — Brooklyn more specifically — where Bushwig began, has long hosted the careers of some of the drag industry’s best performers before fame grabbed them on Instagram, YouTube or RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Bushwig (which most recent offshoot was in Berlin) is organized by what has become a kind of drag-cooperative over the years. Spearheaded by Horrorchata and the many who work with and around her on a weekly basis, including Merrie Cherry, Tyler Ashley, Charlene, Hannah Lou, Untitled Queen, and Miss Malice — all of these performers (but honestly, legends) band together to book, organize, perform, emcee, and command the city’s biggest weekend for drag. (And this is a city that hosts RuPaul’s Drag Con.) The appearances at this year’s festival were no short of star-studded, with drag celebrities like Pearl, Hungry, Aja, Shea Couleé and Alaska taking to the stage on both nights.

This year, rain rolled through the festival’s early September weekend, but drag doesn’t stop for weather. Jason Leavy — who photographed the festival for us last year — decamped for Knockdown Center again to collect a series of portraits of the electric performers and twinkling attendees.

It should come as no surprise that among drag superstars and drag babies alike, there is beauty in every corner of the industrial festival grounds.

Miz Jade

Baby Love

Lucy Balls

Rify Royalty

Yoya

Ruby Roo

Glow Job

Sweet Tea

Rosy Cheeks and Amanda Berlinski

Tricia Lust and Adele Computer

Chantal Cocorico

Mina (Thermopolis) Fanous

Who is she?

Glitt3r Bitch

Onyma Di Anonima

Betty Fvck

Levonia Jenkins

Horrorchata

Charlie Kilgore

Alaska