This is the drag night that has been running in Los Angeles for decades, and the all-stars format means the contestants on the Orpheum stage have already won or nearly won it before. A 2,000-seat 1926 movie palace is a wildly outsized room for a pageant parody, which is exactly the point. It happens once a year, on one night, and the money goes to HIV/AIDS housing and food assistance.
What to expect
A scripted pageant send-up in four rounds — swimsuit, talent, evening gown and Q&A — played broad and fast, with a host working the room between acts and a crowd that treats it as a night out rather than a quiet theatre evening.
Good to know
- The producers list one performance only: Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 7 pm at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown LA.
- Tickets are sold through the Best in Drag Show's own site.
- The show is a fundraiser for Alliance for Housing and Healing, part of APLA Health.
- Five contestants compete across swimsuit, talent, evening gown and Q&A rounds.
- The Orpheum is on Broadway, a short walk from the Metro B/D line at Pershing Square.
Going? Keep it.
Also in Downtown LA & Arts District
Common questions
Where is it?
The Orpheum Theatre at 842 S Broadway in Downtown LA.
Is there more than one performance?
No. The operator lists a single show, Sunday, October 4 at 7 pm.