Socially Distanced Drag Queen New Year’s Drop Goes Off Without a Hitch in Key West
January 2, 2021 ctn_admin
They kept to social distancing and other pandemic rules. But the fun-loving folks in Key West, Florida managed another Drag Queen Giant Shoe Drop on New Year’s Even.
It’s become a yearly tradition in this funky town at the southwest corner of the Florida Keys. Every New Year’s Eve, just before midnight, a brave drag queen hops into a giant red shoe and is gently lowered to the ground as the countdown to the new year takes place.
Bare legs are dangled over the edge of the shoe and kisses blown to the audience. This year, the lucky shoe drop queen wore a clear plastic face shield, and folks in the audience seemed to be wearing masks of their own.
The event is held at the Bourbon St. Pub on Duval Street. Because of COVID-19 curfews, this year’s event was held a couple hours early.
Thursday night’s festivities starred drag queen Sushi, the alter ego of Key West resident Gary Marion, dressed in an elegant hand-sewn ensemble. Perched in the giant red shoe suspended from a second-story balcony, she entertained a limited number of seated spectators in the courtyard of the Bourbon St. Pub complex.
While multiple New Year’s Eve “drops” typically take place in Key West, including those of a super-sized conch (pronounced ‘konk’) shell and a pirate wench, they were canceled to avoid drawing large crowds to downtown Duval Street and waterfront areas.
The 23rd annual “drag queen shoe drop,” which usually is staged on Duval before well over 1,000 spectators, was moved to the courtyard with reservation-only attendance strictly limited.
Here’s a link to the video
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