Butches on Broadway

Austin's Kings N Things do The Time Warp again for Drag Kings: The Musical 6

The Kings N Things cast at their 10th Anniversary show in May.

Shake weights, honey pots, fake cocaine, diamond-encrusted dildos, and glitter canons: just some of the props used in Friday night’s Drag Kings: The Musical 6 by Austin’s premier drag king troupe, Kings N Things.

The Blue Theater was packed to the rafters both Friday and Saturday nights for Drag Kings: The Musical 6, a raucous variety show featuring lip synced performances from musicals like The Producers, Oklahoma!, RENT, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and even the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Produced by drag king Eaton Johnson (who performed as Elvis in a number from Paradise, Hawaiian Style), the latest production in the series of Kings N Things shows included the talents of Mirandom Violence, Tad Bitter, Rhythm Method, James Bondage, Shelby Mine, Jimmie D. Sparklefingers, Herculise, Ms. Tasche, Clint Beastwood, Gage West, and Herculise.

But the shows weren’t just about drag kings this time around. There was also a fair amount of comedy provided by the evening's fabulous hosts, the spangly and glittered Stanley Roy and Erica Nix, plenty of dry humping, vogueing, a tap dance number, and burlesque strip teases.

Overall, the feeling at Drag Kings: The Musical 6 was a magical, accepting night celebrating gender diversity and the queer community that made me feel a little more at home in Austin.

When the person sitting next to me politely asked me, “What is your preferred gender pronoun?,” it felt like, for one of the first times since moving to Austin a few weeks ago, I could really relax and breathe easily in this community where I knew I belonged.

When Chola Magnolia ended her performance of “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music by proudly holding up a sign that read “Femme Dyke Por Vida!” I knew I would definitely be coming back for more shows by Kings N Things.

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Taste of 2025

Austin's Wine & Food Foundation announces 3 big events for 2025

Photo by Erica Wilkins Photography

Theses Wine & Food Foundation events raise funds for local initiatives.

Austin's food scene is booming, but smaller businesses could always use support. The Wine & Food Foundation is one of Austin's leading industry protectors, and it's just announced three events to help support its mission over the next year.

The three events — Big Reds and Bubbles, Toast of Texas, and the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala — are spread out between March and November of 2025, and all offer something a bit different.

They'll all benefit the Wine & Food Foundation and, by extension, the local organizations it supports. Those include Keep Austin Fed, which diverts food surpluses from grocery stores, catered events, and other sites of professional food service; and Sustainable Food Center, which helps Texans access healthy food through SNAP and WIC incentives, hosts farmers markets, connects farmers with resources, and more. The Wine & Food Foundation also offers scholarships for hospitality professionals.

Big Reds and Bubbles, held Friday, March 28, will bring together more than 100 red and sparkling wines for a tasting event. In addition to comparing wines back-to-back, guests will get to try them with bites from popular Austin restaurants to discover interesting new pairings. They'll also get to dress to impress and see the new LZR space — formerly La Zona Rosa, an old Austin music venue that had its last official performance in 2013.

Next up is Toast of Texas on June 8. This is another tasting event that focuses instead on 20 local wineries. The food menu at this event is also more specific, featuring local barbecue and paella, among other local tastes. It'll be located at Assembly Hall, an event space on East 7th Street adjacent to the East Austin Hotel.

Finally, there's the premier event: the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala on November 8. This is a big fundraising opportunity not just because of potentially high auction tickets, but the chance to experience something truly out of the ordinary for the wine industry. Guests will also enjoy "an elegant dinner" according to the press release and wines by a featured maker. It'll all happen at the JW Marriott Austin.

The release counts more than 50 other events slated for the year, so there are plenty more opportunities between the big three. Some of these include wine tasting courses, which will be available again soon.

wine tasting small businesses wineries nonprofits galas