“This is what Pride should be about, it’s a reminder of what we’re fighting for in the UK,” proclaimed London drag queen Bimini on a heartfelt Instagram story last Sunday (June 14). The event in question wasn’t in your usual queer nightlife capitals of Berlin or Brighton, but Nepal’s Kathmandu – and its proportions blew most international drag events out the water. 

The event, thrown by international house and techno events platform HE.SHE.THEY in partnership with local Nepalese drag collective Queermandu, took place at Lord of the Drinks (LOD) – Kathmandu’s biggest nightclub which is consistently ranked as one of the best clubs in the world. As the first time that international drag artists have been booked to perform in the city, the Pride celebrations marked a meeting of cultures, with DJ sets from Bimini and Wales’ T.T.E, as well as acts fusing classic drag with localised, Bollywood-inspired dance and dress. 

“Events of this calibre don’t happen in Nepal,” says Queermandu co-founder Aayam, who performs in drag under the name Momolicca and usually organises drag events in small cafes and restaurants. “The club must have had at least 2000 people in there! It was crazy. It was important because it opens the door for future events and for drag queens to make a living, which can’t happen at the moment.” 

Kathmandu has become a bastion of inclusivity in South East Asia – most recently with the election of trans lawmaker Bhumika Shrestha in March of this year – but that hasn’t always been the case. “There was no way I could express my sexuality growing up,” says digital content creator Parakram Rana, who worked with LOD to make the show more inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community. “I was sent to an all-boys school in the middle of a desert in India and the principal clearly announced that homosexuality was prohibited. When I was 15, I looked up to Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Nicki Minaj (RIP) and our very own Prabal Gurung of Nepali origin who became a designer in the USA. He was someone my family saw as a blueprint for me to do well in life as a gay man.”

“Nowadays, Nepal is one of the safest South Asian countries [for queer people],” continues Rana. “But we still have a long way to go, as with the rest of the world. Queer people still aren’t safe to express themselves without getting catcalled, harassed or abused in public and on social media. It is pretty rampant, if I can be brutally honest.” 

It’s telling, then, that Bimini and HE.SHE.THEY co-founder Steven Braines left the event feeling inspired to keep pouring energy into Pride celebrations back home in the UK, which are currently up against a resurgent wave of conservatism sweeping the country. “It was really special to see how much effort the performers and club put into this event,” says Braines. “In a world of division back home when trans rights are being taken away and Prides defunded by Reform back in the UK, seeing Kathmandu embrace the community was really moving. Even the British Embassy thanked us afterwards – it’s been wild.” 

Indeed, the event was a success by all accounts. LOD’s co-founder and CEO, Rabin Shrestha, who hosted the event out of a desire to show solidarity with Nepal’s burgeoning queer community, is now committed to making it a regular fixture. “The overwhelmingly positive response showed us how valuable and meaningful these events can be,” he tells Dazed. “Our goal is to now host at least one major queer-focused event every year that is specifically dedicated to celebrating and supporting the community. We hope to continue creating safe, inclusive, and exciting spaces where everyone feels welcome and represented.”

Perhaps the biggest testament to the success of the Pride show, however, arrived in the closing moments of Bimini’s set, when she was swarmed by local dolls on stage and delivered a moving speech of how free and seen she’d felt that night. It marked a full-circle moment: Nepalese drag performers had gone from looking up to international artists like Bimini to inspiring them themselves. In Aayam’s words: “Bringing people together is a win-win.”