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Step right up, New York—because Coney Island is about to get even weirder (in the best possible way). This Sunday, sideshow star Arrie Fae Bronson-Davidson—better known as the Pirate Queen or by her stage name Faux Pas le Fae—will attempt to smash a Guinness World Record by lifting a 17-pound weight. With her face.
Yes, really. Specifically, with hooks pierced into her cheeks.
The record currently belongs to Sweet Pepper Klopek, who hoisted a 15-pound sledgehammer back in 2015. Bronson-Davidson’s attempt will involve a kettlebell rigged with custom hooks of her own design, plus the steady nerves of someone who once learned “human blockhead” as her very first trick (the one where you hammer a nail into your nose). Since then, she’s upped the ante with fire-eating and power-drill stunts. Suffice it to say, pain tolerance is not an issue.
What makes this record attempt special isn’t just the circus trickery; it’s the symbolism. For Bronson-Davidson, who has long performed with the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, the stage has always been a safe space. As a transgender performer, she says the sideshow is one of the few places she’s been handed a mic without a filter. “You’re coming to our world,” she told PIX11. “I don’t have to explain it, I don’t have to pretend to make you comfortable.”
That world is one of misfits, fire-breathers, sword swallowers and blockheads, a century-old community that has made Coney Island its natural home. Between the Mermaid Parade, Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest and now a pierced-face lifting showdown, it’s clear there’s still room for the beautifully bizarre on Surf Avenue.
Want to witness history (and possibly wince a little)? The record attempt kicks off at 6:30pm on Sunday, August 31, immediately following the 5:45pm show at Sideshows by the Seashore Theater at 1208 Surf Avenue. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for kids, with combo options that include the Coney Island Museum.
Because really, how often do you get to say you watched a Pirate Queen lift a kettlebell with her cheeks?