Wes Smoot 2/5/24 Wes Smoot 2/5/24

Flame Con, the World’s Largest Queer Comic Convention, Announces Tenth Annual Expo

Tenth Anniversary Expo to Take Place in New York City at The Sheraton Times Square Hotel on August 17-18, 2024

New York, New York – February 5, 2024 – Flame Con, created and produced by the LGBTQ+ non-profit Geeks OUT, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. The tenth annual Flame Con expo will take place on August 17 - 18at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in New York City. Featuring a comics, arts and entertainment expo and showcasing creators and special guests from all corners of the LGBTQ+ community of fans, the two-day venture will include thoughtful discussions, exclusive performances, cosplay and more.

Tickets for the con are now available HERE.

“For years, the constant refrain we’d hear attending other conventions was ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if..?,’ says Nic Gitau, President of Geeks OUT. “‘Wouldn’t it be cool if… there was a safe space for LGBTQ+ fans to connect?’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if… there was a show that proved audiences were hungry for unapologetically queer storytelling?’ Over the last ten years Flame Con has become a home for queer fans, championed queer stories, and celebrated queer creators as their careers have sparked and exploded. We're grateful for a community that's grown exponentially each year and we're excited to gather the best of LGBTQ+ comics and pop culture once more, in what will be a standout 10th anniversary show."

Flame Con is excited to announce Molly Knox Ostertag as the first of its special guests for this year’s expo. Molly Knox Ostertag is the acclaimed ABA Indies and New York Times bestselling graphic novel author-illustrator of The Deep Dark, The Girl from the Sea, and the Witch Boy trilogy: The Witch Boy, The Hidden Witch, and The Midwinter Witch, as well as a writer for animation. An animated musical adaptation of The Witch Boy has been announced by Netflix.

To celebrate the expo and its special anniversary, Fireball: The Official Flame Con After Party will be held on Saturday, August 17 at Hell’s Kitchen’s Industry bar. The event will be hosted by Megami, cast member in the current season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Get tickets for the tenth annual Flame Con and the Fireball After Party HERE.

Last year’s con featured many queer-oriented vendors, creators, and special guests including Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer: A Memoir), Terry Blas (Rick and Morty, Steven Universe), Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Batman: Urban Legends), and Stephanie Williams (Nubia and the Amazons). Among the panels and presentations held last year were “Demystifying Game Design,” “How to Make Your Independent Queer Comic,” and “What A DRAG!: A Panel on Drag and Cosplay.” The expo also featured a live edition of host Connor Goldsmith’s CEREBRO podcast and a special LGBTQ+ comedy showcase with a lineup that included Calvin Cato (Netflix) and Veronica Garza (MTV, NPR).

“Flame Con is always my favorite convention of the year!,” says Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle, Hulkling& Wiccan), Flame Con guest and comics writer and designer. “It’s a unique opportunity to meet with friends, peers, and fans in a more intimate setting. The stories we share as queer people can be so personal, and it means the world to know that readers connect with it.”

GLAAD Award-winning author and film programmer Anthony Oliveira (Steven Universe) shares, “Flame Con is easily my favorite comic convention. Nowhere else feels so much like home. It feels like someone took all the best parts of a con and just kept those, like if you made a whole con out of the weird queer section of every other expo’s Artist Alley!”

Tickets to Flame Con are available through Eventbrite and will feature daily and weekend passes, as well as passes to the official 2024 Flame Con party. Tickets can be purchased at flamecon2024.eventbrite.com.

Exhibitor table sales dates will launch later this month. Stay tuned for announcements.

For more information on Flame Con, please visit www.flamecon.org and for more information on Geeks OUT, please visit www.geeksout.org

Wes Smoot 5/19/22 Wes Smoot 5/19/22

RUPAUL’S DRAGCON LA - A RECAP

The **Queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 7** pose with RuPaul during the ribbon cutting ceremony- Getty Images

[Los Angeles, CA - May 15, 2022] Emmy ® Award-winners RuPaul and World of Wonder (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Million Dollar Listing,” “Wojnarowicz: F**k You F****t F**ker,” “Explant,” “Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes”) hosted the tenth annual RuPaul’s DragCon at the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend. The drag and pop culture extravaganza welcomed 50,000 attendees, with over 150 the world’s top drag queens mixing and mingling with fans of all ages and backgrounds.

Said RuPaul: “The return of DragCon LA exceeded my wildest expectations. To our dazzling queens, our amazing vendors, and each and every one of our beautiful attendees, thank you for 3 dragalicious days of love, light and laughter. It takes a village, people! The celebration continues later this week as ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7’ makes its global debut on Friday, May 20.”

Said World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato: “At this time in our herstory where we have spent so many months isolated from one another, we are especially delighted to bring our tribe together again to celebrate life and love at RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2022. Drag is the resistance! We thank the talented queens and gorgeous attendees of all ages and walks of life who joined us from all over the globe. Cheers with a House of Love cocktail and see you for RuPaul’s DragCon UK in January!”

**RuPaul DJing** from the House of Love MainStage - Getty Images

Created by RuPaul and World of Wonder Productions, RuPaul’s DragCon is a family-friendly event welcoming attendees from around the world to kiki with their favorite drag queens and pop culture stars in a creative, inclusive and accessible environment. RuPaul himself DJ’ed two dance party sets for all attendees to enjoy. House of Love cocktails and mocktails officially launched, with attendees and queens alike enjoying the beverages throughout the weekend. The House of Love-sponsored Main Stage included live runway performances, a kids’ fashion show, fan competitions and makeovers, and electrifying performances by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars The Frock Destroyers and rocker Adore Delano, among others. Other happenings on the convention show floor included fan signings, the ever-popular Kids’ Zone, and over 350 exhibitor booths offering everything from interactive fan experiences, exclusive merch, beauty products, apparel, art and more.

The three day event also included extensively curated panels, reuniting select casts for the franchise including “Bring Back My Girls,” an original WOW Presents Plus series of exclusive DragCon panel conversations with the casts of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 12), RuPaul’s Drag Race vs. The World, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Seasons 1 & 2), RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Canada’s Drag Race (Seasons 1 & 2) and Drag Race Holland (Seasons 1 & 2), hosted by TV personality and LGBTQ+ activist Ts Madison.

World of Wonder made major franchise announcements out of the convention, including the news that “Drag Race Philippines” will premiere exclusively on WOW Presents Plus on August 18, 2022 with “Drag Race” alum Jiggly Caliente serving as the first confirmed member of the judges panel. Jiggly herself announced the news from the Main Stage. World of Wonder also announced a full lineup of original programming coming to WOW Presents Plus in 2022. This slate includes reality dating show starring “Drag Race”’ star Miss Vanjie, “Vanjie: 24 Hours of Love” presented by House of Love, and second seasons of fan-favorites “All The Queens Men” and the previously announced season two of competition series “Painted with Raven.”

The convention featured Queens and other celebrity talent for performances, meet and greets, panels and more, including: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Willow Pill, Jinkx Monsoon, Monét X Change, Raja, Shea Couleé, The Vivienne, Trinity the Tuck, Kornbread The Snack Jeté, Priyanka, Kita Mean, Lawrence Chaney, Symone, Kylie Sonique Love, Carmen Farala, Icesis Couture, Aquaria, Mariah Balenciaga, Alaska, Tammie Brown, Kim Chi, Heidi N Closet, Eureka O’Hara, Gigi Goode, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Kameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls, Pandora Boxx, Ariel Versace, Blu Hydrangea, Kahmora Hall, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Scarlet Envy, Nicky Doll, Vivacious, Dusty Ray Bottoms, Baga Chipz, Shuga Cain, Sasha Velour, the United Kingdolls, the Frock Destroyers, and more. Additional notable attendees include June Diane Raphael, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ts Madison, Cheyenne Jackson, Julia Butters, Lisa Loeb, Adam Shankman, and Daniel Franzese, and World of Wonder co-founders & DragCon co-creators Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.

DragCon also featured a robust lineup of special guest stars. Across the WOW Podcast Network, celebrities joined live recordings; Daniel Franzese (“Mean Girls’) joined It Do Take Nerd. “Drag Race” judge Carson Kressley got in on the action as well and sat down for the WOW Presents Plus: Fashion Photo Ruview panel. Cast members from upcoming feature film “Fire Island” including Joel Kim Booster and Matt Rogers, with drag queens Jan and Yuhua Hamasaki chatted with Variety’s Marc Malkin about what fans can expect from the film.

On Sunday, World of Wonder's WOWIE Awards took place to honor the very best in artistry, activism, entertainment, and more. This year's nominees feature the trailblazers, innovators, and legendary icons that made us go “WOW” in 2022. A full winners list is available HERE.

Hot off the heels of DragCon LA, World of Wonder also announced that tickets are also now on sale for DragCon UK 2023. The gag-worthy three-day spectacle, which will take place from Friday, January 6th to Sunday, January 8th 2023, will see ExCeL London play host and once again feature extraordinary Drag Queens from all over the world. For more information and to buy tickets and VIP experience passes to RuPaul’s DragCon UK at ExCeL London visit: https://uk.rupaulsdragcon.com/

World of Wonder co-founders **Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato** pose at WOW booth- Getty Images

About World of Wonder:

World of Wonder (WOW) has reshaped international pop culture, earning 28 Emmys, inspiring two Oscars, creating global network WOW Presents Plus across 190 territories, and bringing drag culture to the world stage via RuPaul’s Drag Race and DragCon. WOW’s pioneering television portfolio includes other smash-hit franchises like Million Dollar Listing. Their film division WOW Docs produces groundbreaking documentaries including Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Party Monster, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. WOW also operates YouTube channel WOWPresents, music label World of Wonder Records, the WOW Podcast Network, and year-round international live events. Co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have been profiled in Variety’s Reality TV Impact Report. Honors for their trailblazing work include the IDA Pioneer Award, Realscreen’s Global 100 list, and the OUT 100. Most recently, World of Wonder was ranked #2 among film and TV powerhouses in Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies.