Innerleithen event where your night out is certain NOT to be a drag

And now for something completely different ... as a group of men dressed up as women tread the boards at Innerleithen Memorial Hall.

And it’s not even a panto.

The stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK are heading to the Tweeddale town as part of a series of exclusive shows with On The Brinck Promotions and Hemelvaart Bier Café.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, the US reality show where talented drag queens design, dance, act and lip sync their way to compete for a $100,000 prize, is a cultural institution, which has been running for over a decade in the USA, and winning a host of Emmys and Critics Choice Awards.

Last year host Ru brought the show to the UK and it was a surprise smash hit, acquiring over six million total requests on BBC iPlayer by just the mid-point of the series.

It has been commissioned for a second series and judge Michelle Visage, also star of Strictly Come Dancing 2019, sees a huge future for the show.

“We’re hoping that we’ll be on for 10, maybe 12 series to come, so everybody will get a chance,” she said, so there’s no reason not to bung on a frock, get the lipstick on and have a go yourself, if that’s your thing.

Clive Brinck of On The Brinck Promotions jumped at the chance to work with the stars of Drag Race UK for some exclusive Borders shows.

He said: “I loved the show and I was very excited at the prospect of bringing the queens to the Borders.

“There is nothing like this outside of major cities, so we are working hard to change this.”

Hemelvaart Bier Café in Ayton has a regular drag queen host from Blackpool in Lourde Godd, who has amassed quite a following and has performed all over the world.

“Lourde is brilliant and is an ideal host of our On The Brinck events, so we are thrilled to be working with her on these shows.”

The runner-up and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 1, Divina De Campo and The Vivienne, have already performed sell-out shows to spellbound audiences at the Hemelvaart, with more shows from the incredibly-named Baga Chipz, Cheryl Hole and a return for Divina and The Vivienne to follow.

Saturday’s event will be hosted by Lourde Godd and will feature full performances from both Baga Chipz and The Vivienne.

Then, in full support, the winner of Drag Idol 2019, Layla Sphynx, will also be performing and there will be live music from UK chart act Khalysis (formerly Liv’n’G), who supported Dutch sensation Davina Michelle at Memorial Hall back in February 2019.

There will be a full bar and pizzas from Tyneside’s ‘Scream for Pizza’.

All of the VIP ‘Meet and Greet’ tickets have sold out, but there are still a few standing tickets available, and balcony seating is also now on sale. Doors are open at 7pm and tickets are on sale at www.onthebrinck.co.uk.

There are still ‘Meet and Greet’ tickets available for Divina De Campo’s later Memorial Hall performance on February 29, via the same website.