Neil Patrick Harris Revives Wigstock Festival with Lady Bunny and David Burtka
East Hampton actor Neil Patrick Harris has teamed up with husband David Burtka and drag queen icon Lady Bunny for a fabulous reimagining of Wigstock, the ultimate end of summer celebration of drag, diversity and the LGBTQ+ community. Put on your wig, strap on those heels and get ready for a night unlike any other, coming to New York City on September 1.
Harris posted a video on Instagram on August 21 promoting it as “an all-day drag festival,” while his son, Gideon, playfully photo-bombed. He will be reprising his role as Hedwig, from the Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a part that earned him a Tony Award in 2014. The party will rage from 3–10 p.m., rain or shine, at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in NYC’s Seaport District, with flashy performances and a wig cannon, designed to launch wigs into the crowd for anyone who failed to dress for the occasion. Performers include Alaska, Bob the Drag Queen, Peppermint, Willam, Bianca Del Rio and many others.
Tony-winner Michael Mayer will direct the event. In addition to Harris, Burtka and Bunny, Wigstock will be produced by Oscar-winner Bruce Cohen, Jason Weinberg, and parent company of Out Magazine, Pride Media. Gay Men’s Health Crisis, an HIV/Aids service organization, will act as a nonprofit partner of the event.
Bunny founded Wigstock in 1985, a time when the AIDS epidemic seemed beyond control, and ran until 2001. “The LGBTQ+ community was in desperate need of an event where everyone could pull out their wigs and come together, with the help of some glitter, glitz and a glue gun or two,” she told Out Magazine.
Harris added to the sentiment, “Through fearlessness and fake eyelashes, Wigstock connected the LGBTQ+ community and its straight allies for two decades, while breaking down stereotypes and helping everyone to love and understand each other more.”
Tickets start at $95 for general admission and are on sale now at out.com/wigstock.