Central Alberta Pride Week kicked off this weekend, not with a bang, but with high heels, big wigs and expertly choreographed drag queens.

This year’s Drag Show and Dance featured none other than Eureka O’Hara, international Drag superstar known for her rise to stardom through Ru Paul’s Drag Race.

Joining her on the stage were members of the local 4Q drag group, performers Kelli Eletrix, Sparkle Emotion, Ruby Harte, DD Fierce as well as out-of-town performers Visa De’Klein and Duke Carson.

Eureka brought her signature sass as the self-proclaimed ‘Elephant Queen’ and entertained over 500 guests at the Cambridge Hotel this year. O'Hara was a star on the television show Ru Paul's Drag Race in seasons nine and ten, and has gone on to a successful career, travelling through North America.

The costumes were big, the hair bigger and the personalities larger than life, but Patrick McGratten, aka Sparkle Emotion, explained that the drag personalities are really just an extension of self.

“I really think drag is an outlet for my creativity. I’m able to put on this character, and do things that I probably wouldn’t do in my regular life,” McGratten explained.

“It’s kind of like when you’re a child, and you want to play dress up and be a pop star in your room, but you get to do that on a larger scale.”

Like many other drag queens, McGratten was brought to a drag show by friends and was inspired by the performances, so much so that he created his character and has never stopped since.

Saturday’s event was special for a number of reasons, one being the sheer amount of support and love from the crowd, but also because the 4Q queens got to perform together for the first time as an ensemble.

“I have been in the Central Alberta show for the past seven years. We started at the Vat the very first year with a tiny stage and maybe 40 or 50 people there. To go from that to this giant venue where you get all of these people coming out, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race queens are coming out to little Central Alberta, bringing Pride to everyone - to go from such a small moment to such a huge moment is really incredible,” McGratten said.

McGratten said the event organizers created a great atmosphere for the performers and attendees alike, and said a lot of hard work went into organizing the event, as it does every year.

For many, drag is a way to showcase aspects of their personality that they may not feel comfortable sharing in their everyday life. Drag has historically been seen as an empowering experience for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community as a safe space to gather, have fun and hold each other up in a fun and free atmosphere.

Central Alberta Pride Week continues until August 18th, with a wide variety of activities that include an exploration of how gay rights came to be (August 12th at the Golden Circle, 6-8 p.m.), the Rainbow Block Party hosted by the Trans and Non-Binary Aid Society (TANAS) (August 14th, 3-8 p.m. at West Park Community Centre), a pride bowling night and an 18+ Pride After Dark Burlesque Show (August 16th from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Black Knight Inn).

There are many other events happening in addition to those mentioned in this article, but for a full calendar schedule, visit centralalbertapride.ca.