Queer Icons: The Tribute Ball

with Vogue Rites

Book ticket

Sat 27 Aug

17.00-22.30

£5.00-£22.50

More details

Tickets

Free	NHS workers
	Unwaged
Concessions	£5.00
	Disabled
	Senior 60+
	Community
Standard	£16.50
Backer	£22.50

Edmond J. Safra

Fountain Court

Part of This Bright Land

Vogue Rites hosts an open-air vogue ball, honouring and paying tribute to Queer Icons past and present this August bank holiday.

Join us as members of the Voguing community walk the runway, in a catwalk spectacular, competing in categories across fashion, beauty, realness and performance for prizes. Celebrating global Vogue culture, we ask that if you are not part of the ballroom community, you learn about the scene’s history and cultural significance.

Categories will see performers honour Queer Icons including Black transgender activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, Freddie Mercury, French designer Thierry Mugler, fashion journalist and stylist Leon Andre Talley, Spanish singer, actress & sex worker Cristina Ortiz Rodriguez, Black trans woman, drag mother and pageant icon Crystal LaBeija, Liza Minelli, Little Richard, Prince, Diana Ross, Grace Jones, Lady Gaga, Spice Girls, Janet Jackson, Lil Nas X, Frank Ocean and many more.

There are some categories that have an adult theme and are not suitable for younger audiences. Please be respectful of the performers and staff at all times. Somerset House staff may ask you not to take pictures, please ensure you listen to staff when asked to stop photography.

About Ball Culture

Originating from Drag Balls that date back over 150 years ago in Harlem, New York and founded by Black and Latinx members of the LGBTQI+ community, Ballroom is an intentional space that celebrates and prioritises LGBTQI+ People of Colour.

Pioneered by Crystal Labeija, ball culture has spread across the globe - thanks to one of its many competitive categories - Voguing, an improvisational art form/dance with rhythmic movement inspired by models' poses in fashion magazines. Voguing has since become a powerful representation of the socio-political struggles of LGBTQI+ people of colour.

"Balls" are competitions/events where individuals and houses come together to compete in categories across fashion, beauty, realness and performance for prizes.

"Houses" are family units that are formed as support networks, with parents of each House guiding & caring for their children and as teams to compete together at Balls.

Ballroom Terms

While you're at the event, there might be some terms you're unfamiliar with. Below, we've unpacked some of these terms.

OTA: open to all
FQ (fem queen): trans woman
BQ (butch queen): gay man
FF (female figure): trans woman, drags, cis woman
MF (male figure): transman, butch queen, butch, cis man
NB: nonbinary
GP: grand prize
TBA: to be announced
Effect: outfit/look
10's: if you get your 10's, you will continue to the battles.
Chop: being cut from the category.
Shade: to throw attitude and indirect insults

DJ, Commentator & Judges

Judges:
EU Mother Christelle Margeila
European Mother Diva Ivy Balenciaga
Legendary Charly Gaultier-Brown
Legendary Kendall Mugler
Legendary Twiggy Garcon
Icon King James West
Icon Meeka Alpha Omega

DJ: Byrell The Great

Booking your ticket

This Bright Land is all about platforming communities and artists and creating an open, inclusive, and welcoming space for everyone to celebrate together. We've created a range of ticket prices to keep these events as open as possible, to as many people as possible. 

We’ve made tickets affordable with prices starting at £5 to ensure This Bright Land is open to all. We have:

Free tickets available for NHS workers and Job Seekers
£5 tickets available to those who are disabled, those receiving a pension and audiences who might otherwise be unable to attend. 
Standard tickets at £16.50
Backer tickets at £22.50

If you are not part of the Ballroom community, we please ask that you learn about the history of Ballroom and buy a standard or backer ticket. If you can afford to pay for a backer ticket at £22.50, we would really encourage you to do so. These tickets are directly contributing to keeping prices low for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to come.

Part of This Bright Land

A summer celebration of community and culture