We sashayed into the very first Tipsy Bear Pageant at SO36, where drag queens and kings battled it out in fierce karaoke and lip-sync showdowns. Beyond the stage, glamour and competition, the night kept the community close to its heart, as performers and punters alike served the queer spirit.
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
Ramona, Larissinha and Marco, Berlin
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“Tipsy Bear is a place where you can be free to explore and express yourself, bringing out the best of the city’s queerness. Hopefully, it’s a place where we’ll be able to stay strong, despite everything that’s going on in the world. We can still be in our bubble.”
Ingrid, Lichtenberg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“My outfit, whatever I’m doing, is just plain madness and insane sexiness, and I just bring it together. There’s no limit. I just watch what’s happening in the world, and then this comes out.”
Murilo and Benji, Friedrichshain
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“If you don’t know where you’re going from, just tell yourself you’re only going up from here. When leaving the house, always put more on, so there’s more to take off later on.”
MJ, Wedding
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I just wanted to be dazzling tonight. Coming out of the last dregs of winter, I wanted to be bright and shiny.”
Gerd, Mitte
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“When I chose this outfit, I was just going with the flow. Even the wig; I brushed it for the first time in 15 years.”
Nat (karaoke winner), Kreuzberg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“My outfit is giving subtle but also kind of scandalous. It’s an all-black moment. I wanted to do something a bit tight-fitting but also a little classy. I have leg warmers that kind of give a fluffy-ruffle moment with some platform boots. I wanted to give the typical Berlin scene, but also kind of my own twist and flair on it.”
Ocean Maria, Prenzlauer Berg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“Events like this are more important than ever. The times are very tough because of discrimination, homophobia and transphobia, so we need to come together, connect and celebrate. We realise that we’re sisters, brothers and one big family.”
Dark Diamond, Friedrichshain
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I’ve been this character, Dark Diamond, for three years. I love music from the 80s, and this outfit was partly inspired by Boy George and pictures from church.”
Panda, Rummelsburg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“My hometown [Blackburn, UK], believe it or not, has – or used to have – a really strong gay and drag community. I was always around drag queens from a pretty young age, so Tipsy Bear is a bit like being at home.”
Elie, Friedrichshain
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I love the energy here, because it really has the Tipsy Bear energy. It’s the same feeling of being in a small queer bar, except in this massive space.”
Roberta, Prenzlauer Berg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“Tipsy Bear is my little community space. It’s like my second living room. And the karaoke nights are always like my therapy sessions, you know?”
Ian, Lichtenberg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I work at Tipsy Bear, so for me, it has become a family. I know it sounds cliché, but it felt like that even since before I started working here. It’s one of those queer spaces where you can feel the sense of community.”
Anaïs, Kreuzberg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I think Tipsy Bear is home. I know I can always count on this, and when I have a tough day or a good day, I know I can always just go back to Tipsy Bear. It’s a place where I’ve seen myself in so many lows and so many highs. It’s kind of part of my life, so to say.”
König, Berlin
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“We do drag king workshops, teaching makeup and things. It’s community building.”
Dominik, Pankow
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“I really enjoy the energy here. It’s open, chatty and touchy. Sometimes too touchy.”
Ava, Prenzlauer Berg
Photo Credit: Makar Artemev
“The queer community is everything to me. My whole life revolves around these people. You know, there was a meme recently: ‘I haven’t seen a straight person in three days.’ I was like, three days? I haven’t seen a straight person in three years.”
