Because the hardworking QX staff members are all far to busy to take breaks/too old to fly, we decided to send two bewigged, befrocked roving reporters out to Gran Canaria Pride to report on all the action. Presenting Jackie Union and Stephanie Starlet’s unique views on this year’s festivities…
JACKIE UNION
Last year, I got very jealous viewing everyone’s pictures of Maspalomas Pride on Facebook and decided then that this year, with Pride celebrating their 10th anniversary, I wasn’t going to miss out. So it was with great excitement that I packed my drag bag and left the sanctity of West 5 for the sun and fun of Gran Canaria, having no idea what I was letting myself in for! This is Pride as it should be with the most amazing acts, stage shows, cabaret and pool parties for a very full ten days.
By Monday things had calmed down a little bit and boy, did we need it after the amount of alcohol we’d consumed over the weekend. I think they needed time to re-stock the Island! We did hear it was quite a noisy flight and they had to dump some fuel just to get Dave Lynn’s gin on. Things could get messy!
Tuesday dawned bright (but not so clear headed) so it was off to Parque Mar Complex for the infamous ‘Turban Time’ with Miss Jason, Rose Garden & Sonbon, Jamie Watson, Maisie Trollette, Cassidy Connors, Drag With No Name and Dave Lynn and his lovely boyfriend Sam Pink, who brought everyone some of his very sexy new range of swimwear. Well, you can’t be seen at a pool party wearing the same Aussie Bums as 20 other queens! The less said about this afternoon the better, but we did all make it down to the Yumbo later, decked out in our finest pink outfits for a whole evening dedicated to Breast Cancer awareness. It was amazing to see how many people had made an effort and at least half of the crowd that night was dressed in pink. Well done, guys
Wednesday we’d planned a trip to the water park, but after the last night’s debauchery, it was never gonna happen, and, to quote Miss Jason, ‘Dear, if you send me down a slide I’m gonna throw up over everyone’. So we had a quiet afternoon.
On to Thursday, and the day we’d been waiting for, it was off to Las Walkirias for The Blue Pool Party sponsored by Ricky’s Cabaret Bar. Peggy Wessex hosted a fabulous Dragfest around the pool with a thousand gorgeous tanned boys and girls. The highlights of which were Miss Jason, a vision in an orange, purple and gold swimwear ensemble she’d had specially made for the occasion; Rose Garden’s big splash finish with ‘Bears Aloud’; Dave Lynn nearly bringing one of the many cute, very-well-endowed young porn star’s career to premature close with a flying stiletto and ending the whole show by jumping in the pool with the only working mic; Drag With No Name’s ‘Queen’s Speech’ and Cassidy Connors saying what everyone else had wanted to, to the rather inattentive DJ ‘Push the button, It’s the big green one with a triangle on!’
Then Saturday came and the day of the Big Parade: An amazing display of costumes and floats, drag queens and almost naked cuties set off from the Riu Palace hotel and slowly made way through Maspalomas. The atmosphere was fantastic, the outfits spectacular and the watching thousands that lined the route loved every minute. At the Yumbo, a capacity crowd of happy, drunk revellers partied the afternoon away, all rounded off with the final free show. This time including an angel gliding down from the top of the centre onto the main stage, and such names as Tight Fit, Sonia and Jo O’Meara performed, finishing with a huge firework spectacular.
All in all, it was the most amazing ten days and can best be summed up by the lovely Jamie Watson: ‘GAAAAAAAAAAYYYY’.
STEPHANIE STARLET
Wednesday afternoon and my flight was full of Brighton faces already known to me! I had arranged to stay with friend – Wezley Sebastian of Priscilla fame out there already – and arrived at Barbara Bush and Glendora’s bungalow for a few drinks before heading to the Yumbo in search of Wez, as he was not answering his phone! Yikes! Ricky’s show bar had sponsored him so I headed there for a northern style cabaret venue with a family of resident drag queens; my fave being Tanya Hyde and her quick wit. No sign of Wez. Exhausted from all the travelling and huge drinks that are the norm out there (be warned).
They were performing at one side of the pool and it was a sell out with bronzed tourists enjoying the day sun and entertainment. It proved to be the highlight of the week as Rose got a bunch of bears up as backing dancers, a very funny occasion. Dave Lynn, totally bronzed, wearing aquamarine contacts and a red dress (clearly missing the point of the ‘blue’ theme) was his usual improv genius. Wez was the last on, awe-inspiring in his Priscilla outfit. A few drinks and lashings of sun lotion later we headed home for a siesta to party later at the Yumbo.
For those not in the know, the Yumbo is the gay nucleus of the island in Playa del Ingles. A three-tiered concrete shopping centre where mostly all the gay bars and clubs are housed in one Asda car park-esque environment, it’s not exactly Spanish culture but it serves a functional purpose that includes the massive main stage area. This year was the tenth anniversary and the events were spread over a two-week period instead of the normal one. Big names were not as prevalent as previous years as the Government budget was cut. Thursday night saw a Glee theme where various artists sang just about anything from the programme. And on Friday night the stage was open to local drag queens in huge elaborate costumes having more of a local flavour. So instead I popped to Sparkle Showbar to see Brighton’s God Mother Masie Trollette do one of the best shows I have seen her perform as she was totally on form – incredible!
After a tour of the varied strip many turned in ready for Saturday’s parade! As usual a great turn out with many floats and some awesome costumes I opted out this year as it was so hot but everyone got in the festival spirit for the procession. Evening came and I sat in the press bay with photographer friend Gary Garcia. Tight Fit, Sonia and some ‘X Factor’ entrants were playing. My old friend Carol Jianni insisted I got up on stage with her, so I did ‘work it, girl’. I was mid strut when security came and frog marched me from the stage! Gran Canaria seems to have a cold military structure. I was even given a hard time trying to go to the toilet at one point even with a press pass! Hanging with Wez and Miss Bush and Glendora made it special but I could have done that anywhere without the fear of pick pockets! I have now attended seven Canarian prides… enough already!
On return, Miss Jason was rowing with check-in at the airport over a wig, which she ended up putting on her head, tickled me and others. Back to the UK before ya knew it and was glad to be back in Brighton just in time to pack for Italy for some much needed culture.
Photography by Sam Pink
