Local drag queens, drag kings, dancers and performance artists alike showcased their talent in fittingly spectacular fashion at the University of Wisconsin Drag Spectacular Thursday night.

The event, put on by UW’s LGBT Campus Center and held in Union South’s Varsity Hall, was hilariously hosted by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alums Raven and Jujubee.  

The diverse and eccentric crowd gave the performers the confidence to express their art fearlessly.

Raven and Jujubee were the glittery glue that held the show together. Opening the show with their risque banter, tearing down the house with flawless lips sync performances and just generally making fabulous fools of themselves on stage allowed the event to be both humorous and deeply entertaining.  

Whether it was Raven chugging a pitcher of beer and forcing a dude from North Carolina to rip his shirt off or Jujubee belting an acapella song and throwing shade back at Raven, the dynamic duo knew how to turn the party.

The looks were just as stunning as they were individual. Raven rocked an “American Horror Story” meets “Mob Wives,” leather and lace look for her opening number. Jujubee performed an Ariana Grande mashup in a lingerie bodysuit with knee high black boots.

Local queens’ looks were just as worthy of dropped jaws, with styles ranging from Wednesday Addams-chic to 1980s athletic realness.     

But the UW Drag Spectacular celebrates all types of drag and all types of LGBTQ+ expression through performance. First time drag king, Ben Eaten, body-rolled and grinded his way through Zayn Malik’s “Pillowtalk.” Male dancers were attentive to the crowd, even giving lap dances to lucky first row attendees.  

The dancing, the music, the fashion — it all drew applause and dollar bills from the enthralled student and community members who came to support the event. The safe space created by UW Drag Spectacular and the entertainment it allowed ensured positivity, confidence and — as basic as it sounds — wholesome fun.