Tampa drag queen Jewels Sparkles made the Bay proud last week when she placed second in the season 17 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
But if you’re only watching drag on TV, it’s time to think outside the box. There’s tons of drag talent in Tampa Bay, including performers considered too fringe by some to compete on “Drag Race.”
Meet a few of our favorites by clicking their names below, then grab some cash and get to know them at a show.
UPDATED 04/24/25 2:04 p.m. Updated to correct the spelling of Apollo Infiniti’s name.
Adriana Sparkle
Sparkle styles and dyes her beard with the same precision she puts toward the rest of her drag, making it look like a beard is just as necessary to any queen’s look as lashes or lipstick. But the brilliant bristle goes against old school drag’s standard of “female impersonation.” That’s what made her hesitate to start doing drag in 2017. And it’s what lost her a lot of gigs. Credit: Dave Decker
Apollo Infiniti
Drag king Apollo Infiniti is known for his dark glamour acts influenced by comics and video games. He found drag as a way to come out as trans, but post-transition his passion for performing has only grown. Credit: c/o Apollo Infiniti
Sixx Black
Sixx Black’s art can’t be contained by the binaries of queen or king. They love being a drag…thing. And audiences love them for it. More than shock value, Black’s horror acts come from showing people the beauty in not being the norm Credit: c/o Sixx Black
