Best of 2023

The 10 Biggest Portland Moments of the Year

We spent much of 2023 slack-jawed, through No-school November and the farewells of Darcelle, Dame, and Kenny & Zuke’s, plus a few Walmarts and Targets.

12/28/2023 By Portland Monthly Staff

In Memoriam

Darcelle Has Died. Long Live Darcelle.

Also known as Walter Cole, the legendary and beloved nightclub owner and drag queen Darcelle was a Portland institution.

03/24/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Pop Culture Deep Dive

A List of Things Less Gay Than Beyoncé’s Renaissance

The superstar’s seventh album is a glittering tribute to queer dance music through the ages, making it a hell of a lot gayer than, say, a bachelorette party at Darcelle's (all love).

08/01/2022 By Conner Reed

Pride

What Does the Future Look Like for Darcelle’s?

Checking in on the future of Old Town's standby drag club

06/08/2022 By Conner Reed

Drag

Darcelle Turns 91 with a Plaque from the National Park Service

The legendary Portland drag queen’s 52-year-old nightclub first joined the National Register of Historic Places last year.

11/16/2021 By Conner Reed

Fashion Event

Here's Your Chance to See 22-Foot Tall Drag Queens

See Darcelle and company in a special fashion-filled drive-in drag show at Zidell Yards.

03/16/2021 By Eden Dawn

Footnotes

LISTEN: Happy 90th Birthday, Darcelle!

Portland Monthly style editor Eden Dawn celebrates drag queen and fashion icon Darcelle's 90th birthday by revisiting a The Long Play interview from 2016.

11/20/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

Drag in the Pandemic Era

A New Drag Brunch Is Coming to the Historic Darcelle XV

The nightlife hub, home to the West Coast’s longest-running drag show, launches its first-ever drag brunch.

09/03/2020 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Fall Arts 2019: Profile

The Life of Drag Legend Darcelle Is Becoming a Musical

That’s No Lady is a song-fueled story of overcoming the odds to find love and acceptance amid sequins, feathers, and bawdy jokes.

08/27/2019 By Rebecca Jacobson

Pop-Up Pianos

This Organization Brings Rescued Pianos to the Streets of Portland

The orphaned instruments—which are tuned up and then decorated by artists—return for an eighth summer of impromptu, al fresco playing.

06/25/2019 By Shannon Henderson

Film

What's It Like to Be Darcelle? Now You Can Experience It in Virtual Reality.

A new documentary takes you inside the world of the legendary Portland drag queen.

10/12/2018 By Allison Place

Darcelle XV & Poison Waters, Darcelle XV Showplace

Darcelle XV Showplace

05/01/2018

Holiday Events

The Pittock Mansion Has a Darcelle-Themed Christmas Room!

The West Hills holiday display also has nods to Powell’s, Packy the elephant, and Peacock Lane.

12/19/2017 By Eden Dawn

Spotlight

Meet Darcelle, Drag's Iconic Portland Designer

Glitter, glam, and drag are all mainstream today, but Darcelle has been putting on the glitz for 50 years. See her most iconic looks and listen to a bonus podcast with the royal queen.

06/03/2013 By Eden Dawn

FASHION

Drag City

Tour Darcelle’s closet with Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale

05/18/2013