Gran Canaria Drag Queen Contests

The Gran Canaria Drag Queen contests are the most unique and entertaining shows of the carnival. They are world famous and keep drawing attention year after year. The contests takes place in Las Palmas (the capital) and in Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas (south of the island) every February. The Las Palmas carnival contest is almost always held in Parque Santa Catalina, while the Maspalomas one is held at the Yumbo Centrum shopping centre.

Gran Canarians eagerly anticipate this event every year. Many attendees spend hours waiting in long lines to buy tickets, with some even camping overnight. When the ticket booth finally opens, all tickets sell out in less than two hours! Tickets that are sold online were sold out within 20 minutes. In 2025, tickets originally priced at €10 or €15 were reselling online for an astonishing €100!

During the show, the crowd gets highly excited, jumping up and down throughout the show, which lasted over 3 hours. The show organizers always bring international singers to perform at the contest.

Gran Canaria Drag Queen Contest Videos

Here the last few years' videos. Enjoy!

2025 Drag Queen Contest Video (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)

This year’s Drag Queen Contest winner is Drag Ármek. He’s been trying to win for six years, and almost gave up. This year he got lucky and won!
His winning dress took almost a year to make. First, he and his designer drew a picture of it. Then, he went to Turkey to source the materials to make it. After that, he worked hard to put it all together. The dress and performance cost about €22,500.

2024 Drag Queen Contest Video

2023 Drag Queen Contest Video

The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Drag Queen Contest of 2023 celebrated its 25th anniversary in a truly unique way. The winner of the 1998 contest came on the stage alongside other regular contestants of the island's carnival events. The event, a vibrant tribute to the iconic Studio 54, was held at Parque Santa Catalina, making it one of the most memorable shows. The famous Michael Jackson impersonator, Gus Hernandez, kicked off the event with a stunning performance.