Thirst Trap Alert: Mercury Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey marched in the 2019 Pride Parade, but is not scheduled to appear on the Pride Main Stage in 2022.
Thirst Trap Alert: Mercury Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey marched in the 2019 Pride Parade, but is not scheduled to appear on the Pride Main Stage in 2022. Meg Nanna

For the first time in two years, we're looking at a weekend of Pride with a capital 'P.' Much of the city's celebrations orbit the grand parade and adjoining festival in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, organized by nonprofit Pride Northwest.

The fairgrounds themselves always feel chaotic—in a good way—but the main stage programming this year is a veritable who’s who among Portland’s queer nightlife artists. If you haven’t been to a club since before the pandemic, you’ll have to take in Darcelle XV, Poison Waters, and Bolivia Carmichaels—Portland’s holy trinity of drag.

From our 2022 Queer Guide, you know that Jayla Rose, Flawless Shade, and the House of Ada have been repping Portland to the wider world with their respective TV screen time. But what about the rest of the bill? Here's a little more—in order of the posted schedule—about some of our favorite performers on the Portland Pride main stage.


Saturday

Tox!c
Scheduled for 1 pm

Tox!c is a queer pop singer and exotic dancer whose vocal and musical stylings sound like what would happen if Cathy Dennis and Terri Nunn took pole dancing classes and got the Kim Petras Slut Pop treatment. Tox!c’s debut EP, the Dichotomy of Love, sounds like a glossy 80’s fantasy where billboard queen Angelyne rules the Top 40. Even Pink Martini chanteuse Storm Large counts herself as an ardent fan.

Sin Nombre
Scheduled for 1:30 pm

Booked and busy deaf drag queen Sin Nombre is known for incorporating American Sign Language into her performances, signing and lip syncing in time with music. As an advocate for deaf and disabled communities, she's worked to bring more accessibility accommodations to Portland’s drag performances. In May, she performed in a brag-worthy revue of all-deaf drag artists at the historic Stonewall Inn, largely considered the birthplace of the modern American LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Roulette Delgato
Scheduled for 2:30 pm

You may recognize Roulette Delgato from the billboard that hung in downtown Portland in the west side of the Morrison Bridge. A plus-size king, rapper, and absolute stud whose swagger matches his self-love, he was active in Portland’s rap scene for years before coming out as gay—an experience partly documented on an episode of Divorce Court. These days, Roulette Delgato is usually seen in sexy, self-styled fashions, accompanied by a troupe of high energy backup dancers.


Sunday

BeautyBoiz Black Pride Celebration
Scheduled for 2:15 pm

Drag queen Kimber K. Shade represents Seattle’s BeautyBoiz Collective, which is part performance troupe and part production company. The BeautyBoiz performers excel in drag, dancing, and singing, reserving prime staging for BIPOC performers in the predominantly white Pacific Northwest. Their best known media project so far is the Portland-filmed music video for RuPaul’s Drag Race alumnus Alexis Mateo’s song “Esta Noche.”

Maxi Glamour
Scheduled for 4:15 pm

A nonbinary, St. Louis-based drag artist with nearly two decades of performances under their belt, Maxi Glamour is perhaps best known for their performances on the third season of the horror-themed Netflix competition the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. Sometimes called the Demon Queen of Polka and Baklava, Maxi Glamour often paints themselves blue and combines elements of fantasy and social theory in their show.

Coco Jem Holiday
Scheduled for 4:45 pm

Coco Jem Holiday is an enterprising queen, often seen twirling and serving grace and glamour with pop hits and old school ballads at Old Town gay clubs Rebel Rebel and the Queens Head. She’s best known as a finalist on the YouTube competition Camp Wannakiki, where queens were judged on their comedic skills via summer camp challenges. Coco Jem Holiday has a reputation as a kind, inclusive performer who always brings her all to the stage.