REPORT: PULPITO DRAG DERBY 2017

This year’s fourth annual Pulpito Drag Derby, a major event in Vallarta Pride, was, by all accounts, a big success.  Attendance nearly doubled at our ‘neighborhood block party’ from 2016, filling Calle Pulpito from Olas Altas to Calle Amapas with so many spectators that they became an extra obstacle  for our competitors during the Drag Race.

New Challenges this year included ‘Lip Sync 4 Your Life’ and a 40-foot Climbing Wall, but popular Challenges from last year – The Donald Trump Pinata Bash, and Live-Action Squirt Gun Gallery – returned, delighting (and sometimes soaking) the crowd.

A fund-raising event for the Amapas Nieghborhood Association and Amapas Junta Vecinal, with all proceeds going to Beach & Business Area improvements, the Derby generated over $62,000 Pesos for our streets.

The Derby again awarded $8,000 pesos in cash prizes (thank you, Pinnacle Resorts) to the top three winners, and introduced the coveted ‘Ruby Tacon’ Trophy – a glittering high-heeled ‘ruby slipper’ on a column base – awarded to First Place Winner, Diva Divine.  The Ruby Tacon Trophy will be awarded annually, with the names of the winner and her sponsor inscribed on its base, and displayed in the ANA office.

Another ‘first’ for the Derby this year was participation in the Pride Parade.  This year’s entry featured veteran Derby contestant Karla Fifi, sporting a billowing 10-meter cape, ala ‘Pricilla, Queen of the Desert,’ as she rode atop an open jeep with two other fabulous Drag Queens.  Derby Producer  Sinuhe Abinadab, led the way aboard his mortorcycle as Classic Disco poured from speakers and an escort of six Wet Dreams dancers in Drag Derby tank-tops kept time to the music, snapping outsize Ron Morgan Properties fans to the beat and passing out over a hundred souvenir fans to the overheated crowd.

Every year, the adding more elaborate and exciting Challenges, like this year’s Climbing Wall, Pride Parade entry and ‘Ruby Tacon’ Trophy, Derby gets more expensive to produce.

Our sources of income are the sales of beer, bets and t-shirts.  But it’s thanks to our many Sponsors, including Overall Sponsors Richard Michael and Michael Williams, our Contestant Sponsors, Challenge Sponsors, and Pulpito Peso participants,  that we can turn a profit.

This year’s expenses, totaled $112,818 pesos, with income of $175,425 pesos, leaving proceeds of $62,606 pesos, which will be spent entirely on local area street improvements.

Previous Derby proceeds have built the planters at the Pulpito/Olas Altas intersection and provided landscape lighting for ‘Coco’s Tree,’ farther down the block.