After weeks of previews, this weekend marks a big event: there’s about to be a new pageant queen in town. El Convento Rico is hosting its 2022-23 pageant this weekend, crowning a new winner and ruler of the iconic Latin, LGBTQ+ nightclub. Each Saturday for the past few weeks, the club has been hosting a preview to generate hype for the main attraction: the Miss El Convento Rico Pageant. Read on to find out more details about the upcoming event.
About the Miss El Convento Rico 2022-23 Pageant
On November 20, 25 contestants will compete at Revival to become Miss El Convento Rico. The doors open at 5:00 p.m., and tickets are $20 when purchased online in advance. Tickets can also be purchased at the door, but they cost $25 – $30. Revival is located at 783 College Street. This year’s pageant, according to the event page, will be the biggest edition of the annual pageant yet.
Of course, the pageant boasts performances from some of the city’s best drag queens, from Shay Dee to Dulce to Madee Lovegood. At the end of the performances, one of the contestants will be crowned the new Queen. The pageant has been running for 30 years, since the inception of the club. The first ever winner was Paul Mena, who performs as Nicole Batista.
About the nightclub
El Convento Rico opened its doors to the Toronto community in 1992, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in April of this year. Owner and Ecuadorian immigrant Maritza Yumbla opened the space when she was only 27 years old, and the legacy remains: it is one of the few LGBTQ+ friendly spaces left in the city. It quickly became a staple of the Little Italy community and the entire city, boasting a welcome atmosphere and dancing to a unique mixture of Latin, pop and top 40 tunes. The dancing stops for a drag show between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., often led by house drag queen Jezebel Bardot. Bardot entered the pageant in 2015, a few months into her drag career, and placed second. The rest is history, and Bardot has worked at the club ever since.