Wigstock
Encyclopedia
Wigstock was an annual outdoor drag
festival that began in the 1980s in New York
's East Village
that took place on Labor Day
. Traditionally the festival would act as the unofficial end to the summer for the gay
community of New York City. The name references the 1969 Woodstock Festival
.
, the festival was held in its first years in Tompkins Square Park
. According to Lady Bunny, the event began spontaneously in 1984 after a group of drag queens (along with Wendy Wild
and a couple of Fleshtones
) became inebriated at the nearby Pyramid Club
and decided to put on a show in the park.
As the crowds grew each year, the festival was moved, first to Union Square Park , then to piers on the Hudson River
. Lady Bunny said that 2001's Wigstock would be the last, but in 2003, 2004, and 2005, Wigstock and Bunny returned to Tompkins Square, this time under the auspices of the Howl Festival.
, video artist Tom Rubnitz
filmed a twenty-minute documentary
entitled Wigstock: The Movie. Rubnitz's film captures the event's early improvised, rock and roll
atmosphere; early years of Wigstock often made direct reference to Woodstock, and Rubnitz's film mimics aspects of the famous Woodstock documentary.
In 1995
, a second documentary, also called Wigstock: The Movie
, was released. The festivals captured in the 1994 Wigstock documentary are larger and more polished, with rock music largely supplanted by house music
and the influence of the original Woodstock festival is less evident.
The 1995 film gained greater attention and was distributed across the country and on video and DVD.
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
festival that began in the 1980s in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
that took place on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. Traditionally the festival would act as the unofficial end to the summer for the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community of New York City. The name references the 1969 Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
.
History
Hosted by co-creator Lady BunnyLady Bunny
The Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
, the festival was held in its first years in Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park
Tompkins Square Park is a 10.5 acre public park in the Alphabet City section of the East Village neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is square in shape, and is bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and on the...
. According to Lady Bunny, the event began spontaneously in 1984 after a group of drag queens (along with Wendy Wild
Wendy Wild
Wendy Wild, born Wendy Andreiev was an American singer, musician, and artist who in the 1980s was a well known presence in New York's downtown music and performance scenes.-Career:...
and a couple of Fleshtones
The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York by Keith Streng and Marek Pakulski The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The...
) became inebriated at the nearby Pyramid Club
Pyramid Club
__notoc__The Pyramid Club is a nightclub in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. After opening in 1979, the Pyramid helped define the East Village drag and gay scenes of the 1980s...
and decided to put on a show in the park.
As the crowds grew each year, the festival was moved, first to Union Square Park , then to piers on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. Lady Bunny said that 2001's Wigstock would be the last, but in 2003, 2004, and 2005, Wigstock and Bunny returned to Tompkins Square, this time under the auspices of the Howl Festival.
Documentaries
In 19871987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
, video artist Tom Rubnitz
Tom Rubnitz
Thomas Block Rubnitz was a video artist most often associated with the New York East Village drag queen scene of the late 1980s. His video tapes were mainly inspired by pop culture and Las Vegas style shows. A number of his works featured RuPaul and members of the B-52's...
filmed a twenty-minute documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
entitled Wigstock: The Movie. Rubnitz's film captures the event's early improvised, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
atmosphere; early years of Wigstock often made direct reference to Woodstock, and Rubnitz's film mimics aspects of the famous Woodstock documentary.
In 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
, a second documentary, also called Wigstock: The Movie
Wigstock: The Movie
Wigstock: The Movie is a 1995 documentary film focusing on Wigstock, the annual drag music festival that had been held New York City's East Village through the 1980s and 1990s. The film presents a number of performances from the 1994 festival, including Crystal Waters, Deee-Lite, Jackie Beat,...
, was released. The festivals captured in the 1994 Wigstock documentary are larger and more polished, with rock music largely supplanted by house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and the influence of the original Woodstock festival is less evident.
The 1995 film gained greater attention and was distributed across the country and on video and DVD.