Philadelphia's LGBTQ Lineup for Winter 2018-2019

Despite chilly temperatures, winter in Philadelphia is no time for LGBTQers to stay home. A jam-packed itinerary of queer-centric entertainment keeps folks on the go all the way through the arrival of spring. Highlights for the season include festive holiday concerts from the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, acapella superstars Pentatonix and “undie rock” duo The Skivvies. In the new year, dance fans can catch a performance by the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, while Broadway lovers can look forward to the return of Rent. The season finishes up with a world premiere musical starring female impersonator extraordinaire Martha Graham Cracker, who plays a love-scorned version of herself in Lashed But Not Leashed.

Here’s a look at what to expect from Philadelphia’s LGBTQ scene this winter:

Live Arts, Holiday Style:

• Rejoice – The diverse cast of songbirds comprising the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates all of the December holidays during this choral extravaganza at the Prince Theater. November 29-December 1, 2018. 1412 Chestnut Street, (215) 731-9230, pgmc.org
• Drag Diva Brunch – Punch Line Philly’s popular weekly drag brunch has a holiday theme every Saturday in December, meaning guests enjoy an array of sassy seasonal jingles from an all-star cast of queens while munching eggs and throwing back mimosas. Starting in January, the event goes back to normal, with different themes each week (Disney, Harry Potter, Whitney Houston). December 1-29, 2018. 33 E. Laurel Street, (215) 606-6555, punchlinephilly.com
• I Touch My Elf – The Skivvies, the duo of multi-instrumentalists Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina, hit the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ subterranean SEI Innovation Studio for an evening of stripped-down holiday tunes—literally. The pair perform seasonal classics on a host of instruments, such as the cello, ukulele, glockenspiel and melodica, wearing nothing but their underwear. December 6-8, 2018. 300 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
• Adventures in the Arctic Elf Trade and Other Tales From the Pole – Brian Sanders JUNK’s 2018 holiday performance takes place at The Peppermint Popsicle, the Trestle Inn’s seasonal pop-up bar in the historic Bank nightclub in the Spring Arts District. The bar serves hot and cold cocktail creations while JUNK performs two nightly shows of the modern dance troupe’s signature aerial acrobatics and erotic choreography, with some tongue-in-cheek holiday fun. December 6-23, 2018. 600 Spring Garden Street, (267) 239-0290, briansandersjunk.com
• Pentatonix: The Christmas is Here! – America’s favorite mainstream acapella group—featuring gay crooner Mitch Grassi—comes to Philadelphia for a two-night performance of holiday classics at the newly renovated Met Philadelphia. December 15-16, 2018.
  858 N. Broad Street, (800) 745-3000, themetphilly.com
• The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret’s December Extravaganza – This December, Martha Graham Cracker, the self-proclaimed tallest, hairiest drag queen, breaks out her wigs and zany costumes for an evening of holiday tunes, irreverent storytelling and special guest appearances at FringeArts. December 21, 2018. 140 N. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 413-1318, fringearts.com
• Oy to the World – One of the world’s most famous Jewish drag queens, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season nine contestant Alexis Michelle, hits Tabu on Christmas Eve for what organizers are calling “a matzah ball-themed bash for the chosen ones.” Michelle will perform alongside some of Philly’s own superstar gender-bending talents, including drag divas Brittany Lynn and Satine Harlow, and ukulele artist extraordinaire Eric Jaffe. December 24, 2018. 254 S. 12^th Street, (215) 964-9675, tabuphilly.com

More Holiday To-Dos:

• Christmas Spectacular – Miss Martini Madness hosts The Raven’s annual Christmas Spectacular, which is punctuated by drag performances and a mini concert by the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus. The night ends with the lighting of a Christmas tree and a carol sing-along with pianist Bob Egan in the cozy Oak Room. December 2, 2018. 385 W. Bridge Street, New Hope, (215) 862-2081, theravennewhope.com
• QOTA Under the Trees – Guests can make new friends and nab tree ornaments at the December gathering of QOTA (Queers on the Avenue), the popular networking event that creates monthly LGBTQ experiences along East Passyunk Avenue. This time, it’s a holiday garden party at lush plant boutique Urban Jungle, where folks can swing by for complimentary drinks and snacks, green-minded holiday shopping or to purchase a fir tree. December 6, 2018. 1526 E. Passyunk Avenue, facebook.com/epaqota
• Philly Queer Bazaar – Holiday shoppers can head to the William Way LGBT Community Center for a special yuletide edition of Philly Queer Bazaar. The roving marketplace dedicated to local LGBTQ makers is filled to the brim with handmade jewelry, knitted winter threads and cutesy cross-stitch projects displaying messages along the lines of “Homo Sweet Homo.” December 15, 2018. 1315 Spruce Street, (215) 732-2220, waygay.org
• GayBINGO! – Guests grab a card (or six) to play America’s favorite board game with a gaggle of the city’s campiest drag queens. This winter sees four monthly game nights, including a special holiday toy drive in December and an Oscars-themed bash in February. The games take place at the Congregation Rodeph Shalom, but proceeds benefit AIDS Fund Philly. December 15, 2018; January 12, February 16 & March 16, 2019. 615 N. Broad Street, (215) 731-9255, aidsfundphilly.org
• Dirty Santa Philadelphia – Dancers go until the wee hours of the night with a room full of buff bros dressed in Santa gear—hats, beards, boots and the like. Hosted by leather and fetish party promoters Distrikt C, the rager takes place at new Philly nightclub-with-a-ball-pit Concourse Dance Bar and features amped-up DJ sets by Philly’s own KRK and Tampa turntablist Deanne. December 23, 2018. 1635 Market Street, (267) 534-4128, distrktc.com
• New Queers Eve – Partyers ring in the final year of the 2010s in Fishtown at Back 2 Basics’ annual New Year’s Eve bash at the swanky nightclub within The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Foundry. The queer-party promoters are pulling out all the stops—a slate of DJs, burlesque performances, free hats and noisemakers, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. December 31, 2018. 29 E. Allen Street, (215) 309-0150, newqueerseve.splashthat.com
• Tabu’s New Year’s Eve Bash – Tabu reprises its third annual burlesque ball on New Year’s Eve, hosted by local striptease stalwarts Honeytree EvilEye and Flirt Vonnegut. The night includes shimmy-shaking galore from regional burlesquers and a champagne toast when the clock strikes midnight. December 31, 2018. 254 S. 12^th Street, (215) 964-9675, tabuphilly.com
• Mummers Parade – Philadelphia’s 118-year-old drag-ful New Year’s Day parade now embraces and features genuine drag queens, members of the well-heeled Miss Fancy Brigade Association. January 1, 2019. Broad Street from Market Street to Washington Avenue, phillymummers.com

Performing Arts & Parties:

• Philadelphia Drag Awards – Tensions will be high at the annual Philadelphia Drag Awards ceremony, which doles out trophies to the best drag performers in the region. Previous Drag Queen of the Year award winners Iris Spectre and Vinchelle host and perform at this year’s event. November 30, 2018. Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James Street, (215) 735-5772, voyeurnightclub.com
• NSFW Dance Party – One of Philly’s most provocative LGBTQ dance parties returns in December with a vintage fantasy sci-fi theme. That’s about all attendees know about the bash until days before it happens. The location is top secret and is revealed to those who’ve signed up for an e-blast that goes out two days before the event. December 8, 2018. nsfwparty.com
• Get Pegged – Performance artist John Jarboe’s monthly late-night cabaret at FringeArts gets a classical twist in December, when he welcomes special guests Cookie Diorio and Daniel de Jesús. Ms. Diorio, a classically trained opera singer in drag, belts out sweeping arias, while de Jesús, an accomplished composer and cellist, performs music that interweaves classical orchestration with pop and rock inspired by the likes of Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley and David Bowie. December 14, 2018. 140 N. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 413-1318, fringearts.com
• Darienne Lake – The plus-sized bombshell from season six of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performs at Tabu. The night also includes a meet-and-greet with Miss Lake and show-stopping numbers from Tabu’s Fabulous House Divas. December 16, 2018. 254 S. 12^th Street, (215) 964-9675, tabuphilly.com
• Beautiful – The Carole King Musical – The Broadway hit bio-musical employs a feminist icon’s greatest hits to tell the struggle-to-success story of the young American singer-songwriter and champion of LGBTQ rights. January 8-20, 2019. Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
• Grey Gardens – LGBTQers can’t get enough of Little Edie Beale, the fabulously eccentric first cousin of Jackie O and accidental style icon at the heart of 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. They’ll see her on the big screen in all her head-wrapped, flag-waving glory at this showing of the film, which follows her and her mother living in a dilapidated, racoon-infested mansion in the Hamptons. A discussion about the work follows the International House screening. February 6, 2019. 3701 Chestnut Street, (215) 387-5125, wolfhumanities.upenn.edu
• Long Light: Photographs by David Lebe ­– David Lebe’s first retrospective features powerful work from his 1994 documentation of his and his partner’s daily struggles with AIDS, images from late-1960s anti-war marches and The Great March on Washington in 1987 for lesbian and gay rights. Born in Manhattan in 1948, the Philadelphia College of Art-trained photographer is known for the homoerotic themes in his work that present and examine gay life, including his own. February 9-May 5, 2019. Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2525 Pennsylvania Avenue, (215) 763-8100, philamuseum.org
• Together – The ANNA Crusis Women’s Choir, the country’s oldest existing feminist choir—and one of the forerunners in the LGBTQ choral movement—joins forces with the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus for a donation-based community concert at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion. The two ensembles perform uplifting favorites from each of their repertoires. February 10, 2019. 2110 Chestnut Street, (215) 731-9230, annacrusis.org
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Out modern dance master Alvin Ailey passed away in 1989, but his legacy lives on through his groundbreaking choreography that’s still performed on stages around the world. This March, the dance ensemble that bears his name comes to Philadelphia for two evenings of movement at the Academy of Music that features Ailey’s signature work, Revelations, a vibrant and pointed examination of the African-American cultural experience. March 1-2, 2019. 240 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
• Rent – Running at the Merriam Theater, Jonathan Larson’s Tony-winning ’90s rock musical will always touch a nerve in the LGBTQ community because it was one of the first major works of art to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Loosely based on Puccini’s La Bohème, the story follows a group of dreamers struggling to find their footing in New York City while grappling with the disease that threatens to wipe out their friend circle. March 5-10, 2019. 250 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
• Lashed But Not Leashed – Drag chanteuse Martha Graham Cracker shakes off those end-of-winter blues with a brand new, world-premiere production. More than a typical Martha concert, the show is a scripted work full of original songs that follows the diva on a journey of self-discovery. After being spurned by love, she decides to quit show business to pursue a decidedly quieter path in academia, but soon finds herself pursuing romance again during this bring-your-own-bottle performance at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. March 14-16, 2019. 300 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-1999, kimmelcenter.org

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