Cat City Drag Race 2026

DATE: TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026

TIME: 5-8PM

VENUE: CATHEDRAL CITY COMMUNITY AMPHITHEATER

Official contestants will compete in three areas: LIP SYNC, RUNWAY LOOK, and WHEEL OF SHADE on the Community Amphitheater Stage.

Cat City Drag Race is open to any person who seeks to become Royal Highness of Cathedral City in a drag competition during Tastes & Sounds of Cathedral City's Kickoff to LGBT+ Days on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 between the hours of 5pm and 8pm, and who shares the values of the CCLGBT+ DAYS’s mission of equality for all people.

Each of the selected drag contestants (maximum 8) in the competition will receive a guaranteed $200 performance fee. The performance fee requires each drag queen to perform one lip sync, one runway look with the category of “Bring It Like Royalty,” and participation in the Wheel of Shade. 

Contestants Judged by a Panel of Judges on the following:

1.  Originality

2.  Style

3.  Personality

4.  Performance

In accordance with the rules of the competition, the winner of the competition will recieve the following:

• Title of “Royal Highness of Cathedral City” for one year
• Crown and Sash
• $500 Visa/MasterCard Gift Card
• Performance spot alonside some of the biggest names in drag on the Main Stage for LGBT+ Days (Saturday, March 7, 2026) 
• Photo/name/title shown on the City's electronic billboard on Hwy 111
• Bragging rights

GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1.   NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER TO ENTER THE COMPETITION. Free entry.

2.   Decisions by judges are final.

3.   Contestant must be 18 years of age or older.

4.   Up to eight (8) total contestants will be chosen to participate in the contest. If less than 5 contestants enter, the competition will be canceled.

5.   Applicants who submit a completed Drag Race application prior to February 24, 2026, will be chosen based on the order of the date and time of submission. It is a first-submit, first-in contest process. Once eight (8) contestants have submitted a complete application, then the acceptance process of the competition will conclude and all applications submitted thereafter will be placed on a Wait-List.

6.   Judges will evaluate the contestants and score each contestant from 1 to 10 points in whole numbers (1 being the least, 10 being the most). Each contestant will receive a LIP SYNC score and a RUNWAY score from the judges.

7.   The order of performers in the competition will be determined by the luck of the draw.

8.   Date, time, location, and theme of competition is as follows: Sunday, March 9, 2025 between the hours of 10:00 am and 1:00 pm (judges have the right to extend the time due to unforeseen circumstances), Downtown Cathedral City (outdoors), 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City, CA 92234, Theme Category:   “Bring It Like Royalty”.

9.   Contestant must be ready to perform (sing or lip sync) a song in full drag by the start of the Lip Sync Competition at the schedule date and in between the allotted hours. Contestants can arrive to the competition location two hours in advance to prepare. The location will do their best to accommodate preparation, but it may be in your best interest to come prepared and ready to perform with little to no advanced preparation.

10.   Contestants must provide their music for the Lip Sync portion of the competition to Event Producer at least four days in advance (February 27, 2026) by emailing a .mp4, .mp3, or .wav file format to ew@montagecma.com.

11.   Once a confirmed contestant, the contestant must submit a recent drag photo of themselves that can be used for promotional and marketing materials including print, social media, electronic websites, television, electronic billboards, and any other visual medium utilized for the competition by the promoters and sponsors. Submit photos to ew@montagecma.com.

12.   On the Day of the Competition, any contestant who does not arrive on time for the competition will NOT compete and will NOT receive the performance fee. Any contestant who does not perform in all aspects of the competition - Lip Sync, Runway, Wheel of Shade spin, or Audience Favorite - will be eliminated from the contest and will NOT receive their performance fee.

13.   Performance fee of $200 will be presented by check to the Drag Performer at the conclusion of the compettion on March 3, 2026, provided the contestant has provided a current W-9 tax form showing the full legal name of the check payee by no later than February 27, 2026. Any contestant who submits a W-9 tax form after the February 27, 2026 deadline, will receive a performance fee check two weeks after recieving contestant's W-9.

14.   Once all contestants have performed the lip sync and runway portions of the competition, then each contestant will have one spin at the “Wheel of Shade”. The “Wheel of Shade” offers each contestant the opportunity to pick a competitor and either add or subtract up to 3 points depending on the spin number. Multiple contestants can choose the same competitor to add or subtract total score points.

15.      Once the “Wheel of Shade” portion of the competition has been completed, then the audience gets to cheer, whistle, clap, and/or yell for the contestant they like the most. The contestant who gets the loudest support determined by a decibel reading from the Main Stage wins the “audience favorite” award with 10 bonus points.

16.   The contestant with the most points after combining scores from the Lip Sync, Runway, Wheel of Shade, and the Audience Favorite – wins the competition.

WAIVER AGREEMENT

By submitting this application to participate in the Cat City Drag Race 2026 competition on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, I am acknowledging that I fully understand and accept any and all risks involved, and I agree to indemnify, release, defend, and hold harmless the City of Cathedral City, Montage Agency LLC dba Montage Events, and any and all Official Sponsors, including respectively, their employees, agents, officials, officers, and event producers from any and all claims, demands, actions, damages, or liabilities of any kind arising out of, or in connection with, my participation in the Event, whether or not caused in whole or in part by the negligence of such officers, directors, employees, agents, event producers, sponsors, and volunteers, which occurs during or as a result of my participation in any of the events and activities held in connection and/or under the direction of the above-referenced entities.

I also consent to being video recorded and photographed, and grant permission to Cathedral City LGBT+ Days, the City of Cathedral City, and Montage Agency LLC dba Montage Events, to use my information, images, or recordings for media-related activities in future Cat City Drag Race event publicity and I understand that I will not receive any compensation for such use.

I also agree that in the event any provision of this Waiver is declared or determined by any court to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the validity of the remaining parts, terms, or provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

I also agree that this Waiver shall be interpreted, construed and governed according to the laws of the State of California. In the event of litigation between the parties, venue in state trial courts shall lie exclusively in the County of Riverside, California. In the event of litigation in a U.S. District Court, venue shall lie exclusively in the Central District of California, in Riverside.

I also agree to obey by the rules and regulations as put forth by the Event Producers of the Cat City Drag Race.

A WAIVER form, attached hereto, is required to be completed and signed by all contestants and submitted no later than February 27, 2026.