Florida Atlantic University hosted its 14th annual drag show — recently renamed to “Owl Manor” to curve Florida legislation — on Friday night as part of the 2024 Homecoming Week, and the drag queens did not disappoint.
Students trickled in after the doors to the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium opened at 7 p.m. The crowd was not large, with under 100 students and organizers attending the event, but the queens took the smaller crowd to their advantage throughout the night by using the extra room in the aisles to dance more freely. The event was designated for students 18 and older only, and organizers checked IDs at the door.
Before any queens took the stage, FAU’s Pulse Dance Troupe performed to a medley of songs about money, including “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani.
The auditorium lights darkened as the show host and drag queen Ariel Rimm took the stage, donned in a voluminous ginger wig and a green sparkly outfit. She danced to “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan, making her way into the audience for cash tips – or “drag droppings,” she called them later into the show – and an impromptu lap dance with someone in the front row…