19 March 30th–april 5th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | What’s the Vendor Lineup? More than 150 vendors and exhibitors will occupy the tents, booths, and tables arranged throughout the festival. The lineup will feature a mix of local businesses which “run the gamut from national banks to auto companies to retailers.” There will also be community organizations and non-profits. “It’s really anybody and everybody who’s looking to connect with the size and strength of the LGBTQ+ and allied community and the buying power that goes with it,” Helfgot says. Fornelli says attendees will also have the opportunity to register to vote and learn more about political issues affecting LGBTQ people. “That’s part of the whole making people aware of what the issues are so that they can get out and vote and get educated on what the issues are and make an informed decision on who they need to vote for to protect themselves,” he says. What Sort of Entertainment Is Planned? The festival will offer live entertainment on two different stages across both days, including performances by local DJs like Musa Mind and Lindsey Mills, theatrical choir Voices of the Desert, bands like all- female rock cover act Femme Shui, and drag artists. The main stage is underneath the Lath House Pavilion in the northeast corner of Heritage square and will feature the festi- val’s headliners and other artists and acts. A community stage is at Sixth and Adams streets next to the Arizona Science Center and showcase Phoenix Pride royalty, local pageant talent and competitors, and local professional and semi-pro performers. Helfgot says the entertainment at Rainbows Festival will be suitable for all ages. “At Pride Festival, it’s an [18-and- over] event, and our VIP entertainment is adults only,” Helfgot says. “In terms of the Rainbows Festival, because the event is open to all ages, all of the performances will fit that bill.” The live entertainment won’t include lewd or lascivious material, according to organizers. “One of the misconceptions that have been surrounding drag is this sense it’s inherently adult-oriented, which it’s not. Are there adult-oriented drag shows? Absolutely. Plenty of them, and they take place in adults-only spaces. But the performers we’ve booked, they’re all pros and they’re going to do shows that are oriented to the audience,” Helfgot says. “To assume that a professional performer is going to get up in front of an all-ages crowd and do something adult-oriented is both insulting and silly. People know who they’re performing for and will be appropriate.” Who Are This Year’s Headliners? Helfgot describes the festival’s trio of headlining performers — vocalist and dancer Niki Haris and drag superstars Lady Bunny and Venus D-Light — as “pretty incredible and influential,” and it’s not just empty praise. Lady Bunny (performing at 5 p.m. on Saturday) is a drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, and comedian who founded NYC’s famed Wigstock outdoor drag festival back in the ‘80s. She inspired thousands of drag queens worldwide over the past 42 years, including the Valley talent Barbara Seville. “I love Bunny. She’s a true legend and trailblazer,” Seville says. “She made her mark in culture without the support of a reality show. She was scrappy, feisty, creative, and outrageous when not everyone was clamoring for, or respecting, drag.” Venus D-Lite (performing at 5 p.m. on Sunday) does a spot-on impersonation of Madonna and does it well. So well that the drag queen once paid tribute to the Queen of Pop on Ricki Lake’s talk show. It’s not the first time Venus has appeared on TV, as she was a contestant on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Benjamin Leatherman RAINBOWS FESTIVAL GUIDE Rainbows Fest from p17 >> p20 Entertainers Miley S. Mitchells (left) and Luna Love St. James.
