I have been to my fair share of drag brunches.
I’ll be the first to tell you I am a sucker for day drinks, drag queens and cocktails. So when drag brunches became more mainstream and moved beyond LGBTQ+ venues, I knew they would become a weekend ritual for me and my friend group. Albeit, I usually peer pressure them into it.
A quick Google search and you are met with an abundance of drag brunches in the Merseyside area including offerings by Camp and Furnace and Tonight Josephine. Despite this, Liverpool’s newest drag brunch, held at Mediterranean restaurant and bar Pier Eight, stood out to me for a number of reasons.
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The first being it was hosted by three Pride Quarter drag queens: Violet Period-Pain, Debs and Regina McQueen - all of whom have something different to offer. The second being there was a dedicated dancing team and the interior was set to be dolled up for the day, perfect for my Instagram feed.
The final reason was, of course, the show would be complete with cabaret, dance routines and drinking games. What's not to like? With this in mind, I knew it wouldn’t take much peer pressure for my friends to come along.
When we arrived on Saturday, April 1, the atmosphere was already buzzing. We were greeted with a smile, shown to our table and made to feel at ease. Now, with hindsight, that feeling wouldn’t last long as the drag queens quickly got to work and began getting to know the audience members with light-hearted and interactive games.
When guests weren’t enjoying group performances of Girls Aloud or raunchy impersonations of Christina Aguilera, they were running around the Water Street venue hoping to find items such as fake teeth and underwear in order to secure a round of shots for their tables.
The drag brunch, which consisted of 90 minutes bookings and would set you back £35 per person, ran between 1pm and 5pm. You wouldn’t have been able to tell the drag queens and dancers were entertaining for four hours straight in stilettos as the mood remained infectious throughout. The bar was set high within the first 20 minutes but much to my surprise it kept only getting higher with humorous innuendoes and multiple costume changes.
After the 90 minutes were up, tables were invited to stay on to watch the rest of the show and take advantage of the cocktail signatures which weren’t offered at the brunch. It’s fair to say the only time I saw people leave the venue was only when it was for a smoke break or when the event drew to an end and I didn't blame them.
The venue teased more drag brunches will be happening in the months to come and encouraged everyone to keep an eye out on their social media for more details.
Until then, I’ll be trying to replicate my favourite cocktail, Oh Sweet Pier (vodka, bubble gum, lemon and guava juice), at home.
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