Five fierce Asian drag performers on the hottest queer spots in their cities right now

As cities around the world drape themselves in glitter and rainbows for Pride season, LGBTQ+ travellers are packing their bags in record numbers. While stalwarts like Berlin, Barcelona, New York, and Rio de Janeiro remain perennial favourites, some of Asia’s most cosmopolitan capitals, from Bangkok to Manila to Seoul, are making their mark on the global stage with their sickening drag performers, thriving queer communities, and electric nightlife scenes.

The Asian megacities are officially in their global drag icon era. Trinity the Tuck, Manila Luzon and Jessica Wild all recently toured the continent, and we have it on good authority that the next international queen to touch down here will be none other than Raja. Consider this your exclusive tea, darlings – you heard it here first. 

This Pride season, we caught up with five of the fiercest drag performers from five of the region’s buzziest LGBTQ+ travel destinations and asked them to dish on what’s hot in their city.

Pangina Heals

Bangkok

As the host of Drag Race Thailand, Pangina Heals isn’t just a TV celebrity; she’s also one of the brightest shining stars in Bangkok’s nightlife community. She first burst onto the scene as the notoriously shady host of Gay Night at Maggie Choo’s before conquering the universe as a fan favourite on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World. These days, she is the proud mother (and owner) of House of Heals, Thailand’s most legendary drag venue, along with a host of other spots (including Beef and Horn)

Set atop the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong hotel, House of Heals is a drag show like none other. Beloved by the global jet set (everyone from Dua Lipa to Lisa from BLACKPINK and Lupita Nyong'o has been spotted here), expect a classy vibe, on-point service and a fierce cast of queens who slay six nights a week.

“I want House of Heals to be a safe, inclusive space for everybody. It should feel like going to a friend's house, and they're a drag queen,” says Pangina.

Pangina recommends checking out Silom’s two main queer streets: Silom Soi 4, which is packed with bars, cabarets and drag shows, including The Stranger Bar, where many of the Thai queens start out, and Silom Soi 2, dubbed more of a “hook-up street”, with spots like DJ Station and Beef, not to mention the next-level K-Pop dance parties at Expresso.

“Is Bangkok Asia’s best queer destination? I’d say yes!” declares Pangina. “I mean, where else can you catch a drag show every single night of the week?"

Naia Black

Manila

The “abs of Philippine drag”, Naia Black is a Manila-born drag performer and the winner of the award-winning first season of Drag Den Philippines, a competition made “by Filipinos, for Filipinos”. These days, she can be seen strutting her stuff around the fiercest drag venues in Metro Manila, the city she claims is “the best in Asia for drag”.

“The scene here is really booming,” exclaims Naia, adding that the entertainment value is incredibly high because the queens are “hungry to put on a show”.

The first stop on any drag fan’s itinerary has to be O Bar in Pasig City, an LGBTQ+ institution that serves up jaw-dropping performances featuring choreographed group numbers, trapezes and gravity-defying stunts. Over in Quezon City, Rampa Club is a newcomer founded by a group of queens from Drag Race Philippines, delivering equally high-octane shows while also spotlighting young, up-and-coming acts. As for the city’s hottest queer dance party, look no further than Kinki Love in Makati, a gender-diverse space full of top DJs and sexy people.

“ We know how to party, how to bring the energy,” says Naia, adding that a trip to Manila is never “a timid experience”. “Because the Pinoys are good at having fun.”

Salome Blaque

Singapore

The founder of the Tuckshop, Singapore’s gaggiest drag club, creative director, producer and drag performer Salome Blaque is a queer Singaporean in the know.

“At Tuckshop, drag is at the heart of everything,” she comments about her sweaty 19th-floor club in downtown Singapore. Opening on Saturday nights, Tuckshop attracts Singapore’s finest drag artists as well as big international names (Nymphia Wind and Manila Luzon are just two of the acts who have appeared here). Over on what’s known as the “Gay Stretch” of Neil Road, Tantric, an LGBTQ+ mainstay that has been around since before most twinks were in diapers, attracts a fun mix of locals and visitors with its cosy outdoor terrace and strong drinks. Across the road, Host is a more recent opening, serving fresh energy and hosting community and cultural activities.

While some overseas visitors may still perceive Singapore as a less safe place for LGBTQ people, Salome disagrees.

“Our scene may not be the largest, but it’s incredibly genuine. The community here is warm, talented and welcoming,” she says, adding that people may still not be aware that same-sex activity is legal in Singapore following the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code in 2023.

“We still have a way to go for full equal rights, but when we're talking about the nightlife scene, I think we’re very safe here.”

Leah Taylor

Seoul

Seoul may not be the first city that springs to mind for wild nightlife (we’re looking at you, Bangkok!), but there’s more to the city’s late-night shenanigans than meets the eye. The same goes for its queer scene, says Leah Taylor, a Korean performer and the “house queen” at Itaewon hotspot Rabbithole Arcade Pub. Seoul’s premier drag venue, which recently welcomed Trinity the Tuck (and watch this space for a big announcement coming soon!), draws an international crowd with its genre-defying performances showcasing everything from mixed-gender drag to ballroom, burlesque, pole dancing, and more.

“We’re a small but very close-knit drag community,” says Leah, adding that the neighbourhood affectionately known as Homo Hill (a small area concentrated around a 100-metre-long pedestrianised alleyway in Itaewon that’s full of vibrant street art and equally colourful LGBTQ+ establishments) is the city’s queer epicentre. It’s home to spots like Trance, Korea’s oldest and most iconic queer club, a diverse and inclusive spot beloved for its cabarets.

Not far from Homo Hill, Kookie is a more recent addition to the gay scene that draws a sweaty, youthful crowd on weekends with its pulsating energy and an eclectic music policy ranging from K-Pop to house and techno.

“Korea is conservative, but it’s also very safe, and there’s lots to do,” continues Leah, adding: “It’s worth spending a week here; you definitely won’t get bored.”

Lilo May

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s queer nightlife scene might not be what it used to be, but there’s plenty of fun to be had if you know where to look. Just ask Hong Kong-born-and-bred singer, dancer and drag performer Lilo May, who can regularly be spotted serving lewks and killer moves on the disco ball-lit stage at Fa Gai, Central’s buzziest drag venue and inclusive LGBTQ-friendly space.

“If you’re looking for queer culture, Fa Gai is the place,” she says, referring to the array of networking events, open-mic comedy nights, dance classes and more that pack the bar’s events programme. This is also where you’re most likely to catch sight of an international drag superstar in Hong Kong (recent headline acts include the likes of Trinity the Tuck, Manila Luzon and Jessica Wild, with more names soon to be announced).

Lilo says it’s worth keeping an eye on venues like Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour, Eaton Hotel and Soho House Hong Kong for ad hoc drag brunches and other events. If you’re looking for more of a “dancey-dancey, touchy-touchy kind of a situation”, FLM in Sheung Wan is “where the gays usually migrate after midnight.”

And what about the lesbians? The Pontiac brings all the unapologetic queer and sapphic joy to Soho with its lit karaoke nights, trivia events and daily happy hour.

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