Drag Shows in Minneapolis & St. Paul
Updated July 8, 2026
Drag Shows in Minneapolis & St. Paul — Events
12 upcomingLive from Out x Out — dates, venues and tickets, kept current so you always land on what’s actually on.
The Twin Cities punch far above their weight when it comes to drag. Minneapolis is home to one of the longest continuously running female-impersonation revues in the entire country — the Ladies of LaFemme, on stage at Gay 90's since 1964 — and the scene has only widened from there. In a single week you can catch a polished cabaret with a full cast, a drag bingo fundraiser, a themed Sunday brunch on a downtown rooftop, and a free drag show inside a rock-climbing gym.
This guide breaks the scene down by the kind of night you're after — sit-down cabarets, the historic revue, neighborhood bar shows, drag brunch, and the suburban and one-off stages worth the drive. Most of the action is in Minneapolis, from Loring Park and Nicollet Mall up through Northeast, with St. Paul holding its own across the river. Here's where to go, and when.
Pro Tip
The drag scene isn't on one strip — it's spread across the metro. Roxy's Cabaret (Nicollet Mall) and Gay 90's (Hennepin Ave) sit in the downtown core; LUSH is up in Northeast Minneapolis; and Black Hart and Camp Bar anchor St. Paul. The Metro Transit Green Line ties downtown Minneapolis to St. Paul, and rideshare between neighborhoods is quick and cheap. Pick your night by the *show*, not the geography.
Drag Cabarets — Dinner, Drinks and a Full Show
If you want to sit down, order a cocktail, and watch a produced show with a cast and a stage, these two rooms are the backbone of Twin Cities drag.
Roxy's Cabaret
1333 Nicollet Mall · Loring Park / Downtown · Dedicated drag cabaret
Roxy's is the closest thing the Twin Cities have to a purpose-built drag theater. The Nicollet Mall room runs high-production shows Friday and Saturday nights, a bottomless drag brunch on Sundays, and a rotating calendar of themed nights — Drag Race viewing parties, artist tributes, and drag bingo — through the week. The talent is polished and the room is big enough that there isn't a bad seat, but close enough that the interaction lands. Weekend evening shows and the Sunday brunch are the headliners; book ahead, because the best nights sell out. Its Loring Park location puts it steps from the neighborhood that has anchored Twin Cities gay life for decades and hosts the annual Pride festival in the park itself.
LUSH Lounge & Theater
990 Central Ave NE · Northeast Minneapolis · Bar, theater & restaurant
LUSH is where Northeast's drag scene lives. Part lounge, part ticketed theater, it splits its week between "A Brunch of Drag" on Saturdays and Sundays (doors 11am, show 11:30am — the venue dropped brunch tickets to $10 for 2026), Wednesday Drag Bingo (doors 4pm, bingo 6:30pm) where a rotating performer calls the balls, and late-night shows like Mirage: Drag After Dark and the Kings!-led drag after the brunch crowd clears out. The theater side is a proper ticketed room; the lounge side is walk-in and easygoing. It's also one of the few local rooms that regularly programs drag kings alongside queens, and it books burlesque and live music into the same calendar — so no two nights look quite alike.
Pro Tip
New to drag? Start with a Sunday brunch at Roxy's or LUSH — daytime shows are lower-key, all the numbers are crowd-pleasers, and you'll get a feel for tipping etiquette (small bills, tip the performers directly) before you brave a packed midnight show.
The Longest-Running Show in Town
Gay 90's — Ladies of LaFemme
408 Hennepin Ave · Downtown Minneapolis · Historic revue since 1964
Gay 90's is a Twin Cities institution — a sprawling multi-level nightclub on Hennepin Avenue that's been a fixture of downtown Minneapolis gay life for generations. Its Ladies of LaFemme revue is one of the longest continuously running female-impersonation shows in the United States, on stage since 1964, and it remains the reason first-timers and out-of-towners walk through the door. Thursday nights the LaFemme cast performs on the first-floor 90's stage at 10pm; Friday, Saturday and Sunday the show moves upstairs to the dedicated LaFemme Show Lounge for a full-cast production. On the first and third Saturdays, La Folies Burlesk opens the lounge at 8pm ahead of the resident drag show. Because it's a multi-level club, you can catch the revue upstairs and then spill onto a dance floor downstairs without leaving the building — one cover, a whole night out.
Neighborhood Bar Drag — Shows With a Local Crowd
For drag that feels like a neighborhood night out rather than a ticketed production, St. Paul's queer bars carry the scene across the river.
Black Hart of Saint Paul
1415 University Ave W · Midway, St. Paul · Queer sports bar
Black Hart is St. Paul's queer anchor — a soccer-mad sports bar by day and a drag stage by night. Its "Dragged Out" showcase brings local performers to the Midway crowd, alongside burlesque nights and benefit events. It sits right on the Green Line at Western Avenue station, making it an easy hop from downtown Minneapolis without a car.
Camp Bar & Cabaret
490 Robert St N · Lowertown, St. Paul · Bar & cabaret
Camp Bar is downtown St. Paul's answer to "where's the fun?" — a welcoming bar-and-cabaret with regular drag and cabaret nights anchoring the weekly lineup, plus karaoke and comedy in the mix. It's one of the only dedicated LGBTQ+ nightlife rooms in downtown St. Paul, and the vibe leans friendly-neighborhood over see-and-be-seen.
Drag Brunch Across the Cities
Drag brunch is its own scene in the Twin Cities, and the busiest producer is Flip Phone Events — a promoter that runs recurring themed brunches most weekends rather than out of a single home venue. Their shows rotate between a couple of downtown Minneapolis rooftops, typically with 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm seatings, and lean into pop-culture themes (past and upcoming rounds have included Lady Gaga, Rocky Horror, Taylor Swift and Bob's Burgers). Because the venue changes by date, check the theme and location when you buy — tickets go through Etix.
The two rooftops Flip Phone uses most, both of which also run their own brunches, are worth knowing:
Between these rotating brunches and the standing Sunday shows at Roxy's and LUSH, you can find a drag brunch nearly every weekend of the year.
Pro Tip
Drag brunch sells out earlier than evening shows — the good seatings for a themed Flip Phone round or a Roxy's bottomless brunch often go a week or two out. Buy ahead, arrive for the first seating if you want a front table, and bring cash to tip.
Drag in the Suburbs
You don't have to be downtown to catch a show. The most reliable suburban stage is Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (501 W 78th St, Chanhassen — the southwest metro, near Shakopee), which runs a monthly Drag Brunch on its Main Stage hosted by Nina DiAngelo. Brunch service starts at 11am and the show at 12:30pm, with full dining and bar service and a family-friendlier, ages-13-and-up policy — a genuine dinner-theatre production rather than a bar show.
Out west, Boom Island Brewing in Minnetonka has hosted "Pride Brews & Drag Brunch" events with the touring POWER Drag Revue — a good example of the taproom-drag-brunch format spreading into the suburbs. These brewery shows tend to run seasonally rather than weekly, so watch the taproom's calendar.
Honorable Mentions — Venues That Host Drag on Occasion
Beyond the regular stages, a growing list of Twin Cities venues program drag as one-off or annual events — worth following if you want something off the beaten path:
- Minneapolis Bouldering Project (West River Road) throws an annual Pride Drag Show & Market — a free afternoon drag show paired with a queer artists' market, held each June.
- Quincy Hall (1325 Quincy St NE) hosts occasional themed drag brunches in its Northeast event hall, including "Drag Race"-alum-headlined rounds.
- Green Room (2923 Girard Ave S) is Uptown's multi-level music venue, with a purpose-built stage that hosts occasional queer nights and drag-adjacent programming alongside its concert calendar.
Getting There & Getting Around
The Twin Cities drag scene spans two downtowns, so plan your route around the show:
- Green Line light rail connects downtown Minneapolis, the University, and downtown St. Paul — the easiest way to pair a Minneapolis show with Black Hart (Western Ave station) in St. Paul.
- Downtown Minneapolis clusters Roxy's (Nicollet Mall), Gay 90's and CRAVE (Hennepin Ave) within a short walk of each other.
- Northeast Minneapolis (LUSH, Quincy Hall) is a quick rideshare from downtown; there's no direct rail.
- Suburban stages (Chanhassen, Minnetonka) need a car — budget 25–35 minutes from downtown Minneapolis.
Pro Tip
Most bar drag shows are 21+, but the ticketed rooms are more flexible: LUSH runs all-ages brunch rounds, and Chanhassen's dinner-theatre brunch welcomes ages 13+. If you're bringing a younger group or a first-timer, a daytime brunch is the safe pick.
Where to Stay for a Drag Weekend
Downtown Minneapolis puts you within walking distance or a short ride of Roxy's, Gay 90's, and the rooftop brunches, with the Green Line to St. Paul at your door.
For more on the bars behind these stages, see our guide to the best gay bars in Minneapolis & St. Paul, and for the calendar, Twin Cities Pride and the wider LGBTQ+ guide to the Twin Cities.
When and where can I see drag in the Twin Cities?
You can see drag nearly every night somewhere in the metro. Roxy's Cabaret (Nicollet Mall) and LUSH (Northeast) run shows and brunches through the week; Gay 90's stages its historic LaFemme revue Thursday through Sunday; and St. Paul's Black Hart and Camp Bar carry the neighborhood bar shows. Weekends add drag brunch across downtown rooftops.
What's the best night to go to a drag show in Minneapolis?
For a produced cabaret, Friday or Saturday at Roxy's. For the historic revue, catch the Ladies of LaFemme upstairs at Gay 90's on a weekend night. For something lower-key and daytime, Sunday drag brunch at Roxy's or LUSH. Thursday is quietly great — LaFemme performs on the Gay 90's main stage and the crowds are smaller.
How much does drag brunch cost in the Twin Cities?
It varies by producer. LUSH dropped its "Brunch of Drag" tickets to $10 for 2026; Roxy's bottomless brunch and Flip Phone's themed rooftop rounds run higher once food and drink are added. Most shows are ticketed in advance — buy ahead for weekend seatings, and bring cash to tip performers directly.
Are Twin Cities drag shows all-ages or 21+?
Most bar shows (Gay 90's, Black Hart, Camp Bar) are 21+. The ticketed theaters are more flexible: LUSH programs all-ages brunch rounds, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' drag brunch welcomes ages 13 and up. If you're bringing minors, stick to a daytime brunch and confirm the age policy when you buy.
Is there drag in the Twin Cities suburbs?
Yes. Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (southwest metro, near Shakopee) runs a monthly drag brunch on its Main Stage, and taprooms like Boom Island Brewing in Minnetonka host seasonal Pride drag brunches. These run less often than the downtown rooms, so check the venue's calendar before you drive out.
Where can I find drag brunch every weekend?
Between Flip Phone Events' rotating rooftop brunches (Union Rooftop and Crave, typically with 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm seatings), Roxy's Sunday bottomless brunch, and LUSH's Saturday and Sunday brunch rounds, there's a drag brunch somewhere in Minneapolis nearly every weekend of the year.
Do I need to tip at a drag show?
Yes — tipping is how performers are paid, especially at bar shows. Bring small bills and tip the queens directly during their numbers. At ticketed brunches and cabarets, tipping is still expected on top of the ticket. It's the etiquette that keeps the scene running.
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