Drag aficionados of the macho persuasion, take notice: The biggest and longest-running convention dedicated exclusively to the talents of drag kings, drag things, and those beyond or in between is back and better than ever.
Every year, the Emerald City Kings Ball assembles the most rugged, dapper, and finest of drag specimens from across the continent to compete against one another and crown the kingliest of them all — the High King Supreme. The event also serves as a means of fostering a deeper sense of drag fraternity among the artists, who often are left out of opportunities in the broader scene.
Sherwood Ryder, cofounder and producer of the ECKB — a dashing and formidable king in his own right — spoke with the SGN about the importance of his art form, as well as what attendees can expect at this year’s festivities.
Cultivating a kingdom
ECKB started off in 2021 as an idea of Ryder and his fellow performer Faberg’ee Greg, styled after an Atlanta-style players ball. Ryder said the first ECKB in 2022 was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
“Everybody had a great time, and the feedback was: We want more of this and we want it now,” he said.
Since then, the event has progressively grown in both size and recognition. Last year, the winner of Revry’s King of Drag season one, the DC-based King Molasses, headlined the event. “They are an incredible human, and they just light up a room anytime they walk into it,” Ryder said.
Although King of Drag will not officially be a part of the ECKB this year, Ryder said several former contestants from the show will attend and perform. As an organizer on the back end, he shared how “mind-blowing” it’s been to see so many drag performers who’ve only known each other through the internet come together in person and fraternize.
The event’s growth has necessitated an expansion of both the ECKB team and the venue. Ryder said the ball had initially been slated again for the Langston Hughes Center like last year, but he was informed at the start of 2026 they would not have access to it. He said the situation left the ECKB scrambling to find an alternative space. Thankfully, they were able to secure Seattle Central College on Capitol Hill.
“We kind of threw a Hail Mary pass late in the game, and then Seattle Central College kind of just fell into our laps, which we’re very grateful for,” Ryder said.
The ECKB production crew has also seen some recent additions: Bruno Baywatch and Chanse Hazard. However, running a drag kingdom comes with significant financial and resource demands to keep things operating.
“We would love financial sponsorships, but we know in this day and age, it’s not always easy,” he said.
Often, Ryder said, the ECKB, as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit will rely on the community to support it through in-kind sponsorships, whether goody bags for performers and VIPs or sponsoring afterparties and donating airline points for headliners to come and perform.
“We’re open to any and all sponsorships as long as it helps keep the ball rolling,” Ryder said.
Kings, queens, and drag beings
What attributes define drag kingery as an art form, and how is it similar (or not) from the world of drag queens?
“So, a lot of the times when people look at drag kings, they look at it as like, ‘Oh well, it’s just the opposite of being a queen,’” Ryder said.
But for him, there is no such thing as opposites, because no single drag community is a monolith.
“No one or two [drag queens] are the same, and it’s the same for drag kings, beings, and things,” he said. “When you go to a king show… there is so much variety, from comedy to clowns, emotional artistry to the sexiest of sexy.”
He further stressed the importance of how the drag king community functions as a creative outlet for people to explore their gender identity and expression, and how traditional drag showbiz often lacks representation and turns down those who are too diverse.
“We want … for [people] to be able to see art that actually can represent them,” Ryder said. “And going out to the big-name drag shows, where they’re full of a queen cast. You don’t get to see that, especially as a Transmasc or gender-nonconforming individual.”
Empowerment was another major reason why Ryder believes every Queer and Trans person should attend at least one drag king show. For him, the significance of seeing a person of the same lived experience represented on stage (especially if it’s the first time) cannot be understated. One example he gave was of a student at a college show who told him how much it meant to see another Transmasc on stage who doesn’t want top surgery.
“I think it’s important for people to have that experience,” he said.
Does Ryder have any advice for other drag king communities looking to start their own regional balls?
“Just do it,” he replied. “It’s easier said than done… but, like. get together, lean into your local community, work with your local kings, and just make it happen.”
The 2026 Emerald City Kings Ball will be held from September 17-19 at Seattle Central College.Tickets can be found at https://emeraldcitykingsball.com/tickets/
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