Wigstock (Woodstock with a drag twist) began in 1984, when Lady Bunny and others from the Pyramid nightclub, spontaneously decided to put on a show in Tompkins Square Park. From that point on, Bunny took control and developed Wigstock into an annual downtown event that continued for over twenty years until 2005 with only a few interruptions. It was a golden age for drag, and with lineups that included dozens of talented performers like RuPaul, Wigstock began attracting large crowds of upwards of 50,000 people.
Writing in 1996, Julian Fleisher celebrated Lady Bunny as “the most powerful drag queen in New York,” and noted that Wigstock was “the lens through which most of the city, and therefore the world, see drag.” Coincidently, the 30th anniversary of Fleisher’s book The Drag Queens of New York: An Illustrated Field Guide has inspired a new exhibition that opens next month at Howl! at 250 Bowery. It will be interesting to see how many of the stars of Wigstock will be attending the October 16th opening.
In keeping with its importance as a major annual NYC event, Wigstock produced a poster and an event program for each of its yearly festivals. All the covers featured Lady Bunny. The catalogues kept growing in size with some exceeding 70 pages, and included listings of performers and advertisements for local LBGTQ businesses. Gallery 98 has recently acquired a collection of both posters and programs. Many are featured below, but to see the full collection visit our special Wigstock Ephemera page.
Wigstock Ephemera
Wigstock Festival Programs
WIGSTOCK ’87, 26-Page Program/Catalogue. Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches — Available for Purchase
Contributors include Lady Bunny, Ethyl Eichelberger, Dean Johnson, Lypsinka, Hapi Phace, John Sex, and many others.
WIGSTOCK ’92, 72-Page Program/Catalogue. Size: 8.75 x 7 inches — Available for Purchase
Contributors include Lady Bunny, Joey Arias, Deee-lite, RuPaul, Tabboo!, and many others.
WIGSTOCK ’93, 72-Page Program/Catalogue. Size: 8.5 x 7 inches — Available for Purchase
Contributors include Lady Bunny, Dagmar Onassis, Deborah Harry, Deee-lite, Jayne County, Joey Arias, Leigh Bowery, Lypsinka, RuPaul, Wendy Wild, and many more.
NotWig, Cover by Scott Ewalt, 18 Page Program/Catalogue, 1996. Size: 9.5 x 7.25 inches — Available for Purchase
The Wigstock festival for 1996 was cancelled since its site at Christopher St. Piers was undergoing construction.
WIGSTOCK ’98, 30-Page Program/Catalogue. Size: 9.5 x 7.5 inches — Available for Purchase
Contributors include Lady Bunny, Joey Arias, Jayne County, Vaginal Davis, Dean Johnson, John Kelly, Deborah Harry, and many more.
Wigstock Festival Posters
WIGSTOCK ’87, Poster featuring Lady Bunny. Size: 29.5 x 22.25 inches — Available for Purchase
Among the performers included on this poster are Lady Bunny, Ethyl Eichelberger, Lypsinka, John Sex, Dean & The Weenies.
WIGSTOCK ’89, Poster featuring Lady Bunny. Size: 22.5 x 17 inches — Available for Purchase
WIGSTOCK ’89, Poster featuring Lady Bunny. Size: 22.5 x 17 inches — Available for Purchase
Among the performers included on this poster are RuPaul, Tabboo!, Deee-lite, Dagmar Onassis, Lady Bunny. Wigstock 90′ is dedicated to ETHYL and CHRYSIS.
WIGSTOCK ’93, Poster featuring Lady Bunny. Size: 22 x 17 inches — Available for Purchase
Among the performers included on this poster are Leigh Bowery, Jayne County, RuPaul, Wendy Wild, Joey Arias, Deborah Harry, and Lady Bunny.
