Karla Marx warms up the crowd at the Drag Me To Cowboys event at Cowboys Park on Saturday. Photo by Mike Drew /Postmedia Calgary

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Thousands of festival-goers packed the Cowboys Music Festival grounds in downtown Calgary on Saturday for an event featuring stars from the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, local performers and a DJ set by RuPaul Charles himself.

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Hosted by Calgary drag performer Farrah Nuff, whose given name is Stephen West, the annual Drag Me to Cowboys show has grown into one of the Cowboy Music Festival’s marquee events.

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“This show has been a labour of love for the last decade with Cowboys,” said West. “It’s really lovely that we get the chance to put on the world’s largest drag show on one of the biggest music stages in the world like this.

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“It’s grown and grown and grown into this epic adventure that is Drag Me to Cowboys every stampede, and it’s just the coolest thing we get to do.”

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Despite the overwhelming celebration of drag and “queer art” at the event, West said discrimination against members of the LGBTQ2S+ community remains common.

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The crowd spilled beyond the tent at the Drag Me To Cowboys event at Cowboys Park. Photo by Mike Drew /Postmedia Calgary

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Hours before taking the stage at what organizers say was the largest drag show in the world by attendance, West said a ride-share driver arrived to transport three of the performers to the venue but drove away after seeing they were in drag.

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“The driver pulled up to pick us up, took one look at us, and then sped off,” said West.

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West said the incident speaks to the fact doing drag is inherently political, particularly amid what they described as Alberta’s ‘divisive’ political climate.

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“Drag is political. It always has been political and it always will be political,” West said. “As soon as I put on my outfit, my hair is done and I walk out there, that’s a political statement.

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“The political statement is: ‘I’m here, I’m queer, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.'”

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Victoria Bucholtz, who performs under the drag persona Karla Marx, said the size of the event speaks to general public sentiment about acceptance of the LGBTQ2S+ community in Alberta.

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“It shows that queerness is celebrated and welcome in Alberta,” Bucholtz said. “It shows that on the biggest stages and in the biggest celebrations in Canada and Alberta, that queerness is absolutely a vibrant part of our communities.”

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Have a seat at the Drag Me To Cowboys event. Photo by Mike Drew /Postmedia Calgary

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Among those in attendance was Fort McMurray resident Mitchel Bowers, executive director of Wood Buffalo Pride in northern Alberta. Wearing a shirt reading “Make Alberta Gay Again,” Bowers said the event brings together queer Albertans from across the province, including those from rural communities.

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“We get to come together and celebrate a little bit of queer joy,” Bowers said. “I’m hoping that people will know that queer people exist in all parts of Alberta, not just the bigger cities.”

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While handing out stickers and engaging with attendees in the crowd, Bowers said legislation introduced by the provincial government over the past year has made it more difficult for organizations such as Wood Buffalo Pride to support young people.