Remember “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”? Filmed in the Australian outback, the original motion picture followed a group of drag queens and their adventures aboard a bus.
On October 19-21, the Okanagan’s celebration of all things food, wine and drag, promises nothing but the very best for their attendees and performing drag queens in a road trip based adventure with partial proceeds of the festival directed to The Shooting Stars Foundation.
The Saturday night drag show is certainly the main event, but the weekend is also built around showcasing the regions great wine, food and accommodation, all while mingling with the queens. Drag Queens in attendance are the very best in Western Canada and include host Joan-E, Devanna DeMille, Iona Whipp, and Oddree Mayormaynot. Attending and sponsoring the event is Good Life Vancouver’s Cassandra Anderton, a food, wine and travel writer, who’ll be on hand to guide you through the festival in style.
The festivities begin as the bus leaves from Vancouver at noon Friday October 19 arriving in Osoyoos where guests check into the Walnut Beach Resort. Along the journey mix and mingle, or just relax and let the journey unfold. Do know what happens on the bus stays on the bus! The evening then begins with dinner and then on to a local pub with guests dancing any extra calories off with Vancouver’s DJ G Luv.
The next day breakfast is served and then attendees are bused off to Black Hills Winery in Oliver for an afternoon of wine and food showcasing the winery’s new Wine Experience Centre. Spend the day mixing and mingling with the divas. Their dramatic flair adds fun and folly to any event.
After the opportunity for some rest and party prep, the Fruity Pink and Sparkling wine tasting event begins at the hotel. Join the queens and sample over thirty wines alongside food created by Chef Justin Paakkunainen. Bid on exclusive packages and rare wines from the Okanagan with all proceeds going to the Shooting Stars Foundation. The bus then swoops up guests and delivers them to the main attraction, the drag show at the Sage Pub. Enjoy the scintillating performances, sip wine, cocktails or shooters (your choice), hang with the divas and then head back to your room once you’ve had enough. Sunday guests will be sent off with a delightful farewell wine-paired at Hester Creek Winery’s Terrafina Restaurant in Oliver.
There are only 120 packages available in total for this festival, so book quickly to avoid severe and disastrous disappointment. Packages from Vancouver for this all inclusive weekend as well as individual tickets to events are available. Please see the website for more details.
http://www.queenofthedesert.ca/
The Shooting Stars Foundation produces unique special events with passion, integrity and innovation to raise money for people living with HIV/AIDS. Their grants support community based organizations providing supplemental health care, food and shelter to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The Foundation Board oversees the receipt and distribution of funds from our events to frontline HIV/AIDS organizations