RuPaul’s Drag Race universe now comprises 15 shows around the world featuring drag queens from 18 countries (Drag Race Down Under includes Australia and New Zealand; Drag Race Germany includes Germany, Austria and Switzerland). That’s a lot of drag and a lot of kilometres to cover to keep track of it all.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars, which launched in August, is the first of the franchise to have each contestant represent one country. It’s like Drag United Nations or the Drag Olympics. The lack of familiarity with and the curiosity the contestants have about each other—and each other’s country and drag scene—gives the series a heartwarming charm. As does all the broken English. Can it be true that drag is the most universal language?
Here are 12 bars, clubs and performance spaces you can visit to drink in the drag of the home countries of each of the Global All Stars contestants—and in some of them, maybe even see a Global All Star.
Linköping, Sweden
With a population of just 165,000, Vanity Vain’s Swedish hometown is not big enough to have a gay bar. So it’s into the car for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Stockholm to visit Club Backdoor (Johanneshov, Arenavägen 75, Stockholm) for a drink at Scandinavia’s biggest gay bar. Vanity Vain had some breakout moments at the club’s Rising Stars of Backdoor night.
Basel, Switzerland
Tessa Testicle was the fourth contestant eliminated on Drag Race Germany. Her hometown of Basel (population 171,000) doesn’t have a bar solely dedicated to drag. The trade of the season has performed at occasional The Glitter Factor parties (various locations). Resto-bar-club Parterre One (Klybeckstrasse 1b, Basel) hosts occasional drag nights.
Saint-Denis, France
Soa de Muse, whose homebase is a suburb of Paris, does a lot of her performing in theatrical venues and at cabarets rather than at clubs. She’s got a voice on her. Her favourite venue is La Bouche Cabaret (15 Rue Esclangon, Paris), which operates only sporadically. For something more dependable, try the alt-queer dinner theatre/cabaret at Madame Arthur (75bis Rue des Martyrs, Paris), where Soa de Muse also performs.
Montreal, Canada
Pythia is also more of a theatre performer than a club performer. But she has performed at Montreal’s most famous drag club, Cabaret Mado (1115 St Catherine St. E., Montreal), where so many Quebecois queens got their start. The founder, Mado Lamotte, worked at Complexe Sky (1478 St. Catherine St. E., Montreal) before opening the cabaret in 2002.
Rome, Italy
Nehellenia, who was miss congeniality on her original season on Drag Race Italy, has performed at the nightclub GIAM (Viale di Val Fiorita, Rome), which is known for its excellent DJs. For something more drag-focused in Rome, try 101 Club Roma (Via Panisperna 101, Rome),
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Miranda Lebrão is an actor/cabaret performer who may be easier to catch on a festival stage on tour than at a club in Rio. She’s done shows at Teatro Rival Petrobras (Rua Álvaro Alvim 33, Cinelândia, Rio de Janeiro), which hosts music and theatre of all kinds. For Carioca drag most days of the week, drop by Pink Flamingos (Rua Rodolfo Dantas 16, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro), which is one of the most popular and tourist-friendly drag-focused clubs in the city.
Adelaide, Australia
Kween Kong, who is based in Adelaide but originally from New Zealand, has performed in a play in the Adelaide Fringe, a theatre festival that’s not shy about shows built around queerness and drag (the next fringe is February 21 to March 23, 2025). But the city’s favourite drag venue is Mary’s Poppin (5 Synagogue Pl., Adelaide).
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Since her appearance on season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Kitty Scott-Claus has been spending more time in London than in her hometown, though she was all over Birmingham Pride 2024 (the next one is May 24 and 25, 2025). The Nightingale Club (18 Kent St., Birmingham) is one of the city’s biggest gay venues and one of the most reliable purveyors of drag (and dancing) in Northern England.
Morelia, Mexico
The hometown of Gala Varo, another candidate for trade of the season, is a beautiful city of about 900,000 people in central western Mexico. Despite her fame on Drag Race Mexico and now Global All Stars, she’s still known to perform at Sak Bar (Av. Morelos Nte. 128. Col. Centro, Morelia).
Marikina, Philippines
Originally from a suburb of Manila, Eva Le Queen got her start at Nectar (The Fort Strip, 5th Ave., corner of 26th St., Taguig, Metro Manila), which is the biggest LGBTQ+ nightclub in Manila. For an artsier cabaret-style vibe, try Empty Stomach (The Top Showroom Mayflower St., Highway Hills, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila).
Brussels, Belgium
These days, you’re more likely to find Athena Likis, who is featured on a Belgian postage stamp, on a theatre stage than at a gay club. The first eliminated from the series recently performed at the art and music space C12 (116 Rue Marché aux Herbes, Brussels). But she refined her stuff at Cabaret Mademoiselle (Rue du Marché au Charbon 53, Brussels), which promises burlesque and freakiness.
Dallas, United States
The most senior series veteran Alyssa Edwards started out as a pageant queen after seeing her first drag show at The Rose Room (upstairs inside S4, 3911 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas). The legendary venue, which presents set shows four nights a week to a mixed audience, is still going strong in the “gender illusion” industry.
