City councilmember-elect Annalisa Perea reportedly has relayed her concerns to Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama about possible threats to the LGBTQ+ community in connection with Saturday’s “Fresno’s Drag Festival: This Is Me!” event.

Perea said that Balderrama told her a safety plan is being put in place for the noon-to-4 p.m. show at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 2101 N. Fruit Ave.

“I have zero tolerance for those that inflict any level of harm upon any segment of our community,” Perea said in a statement posted on Twitter by @uSparkValley. “And (I) have full confidence that our police department will execute their duties and responsibility to protect those in attendance accordingly.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the event has re-ignited culture war clashes between Fresno area conservatives and progressives.

I guess the you only like freedom and the 1st Amendment when it suits your needs but when someone voices an opinion different than yours, you use inflammatory words to incite violence. Either all us have freedom or none of us do.

— Lourin Hubbard (@LourinHubbard) December 9, 2022

The Event’s Star Performers

According to the event’s Facebook page, the special guests will be drag performers Vander Von Odd and Melissa Befierce.

Vander Von Odd was the winner and Melissa Befierce tied for runner-up on season 1 of “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula” reality show. The show originally aired on YouTube but later was shown on Netflix.

Melissa Befierce was profiled in a Los Angeles Times story on LA-area “drag mothers” earlier this year.

The show, which is described as family-friendly, will have food vendors, a local fashion designer, and a runway show, according to the Facebook page.

Where to Get Tickets

Tickets, which are available through this link, are $375 for a VIP table seating 10 people and including memorabilia, a goodie bag, appetizer, and drink; $50 for VIP meet-and-greet, memorabilia, and goodie bag; $35 for general admission, including a poster; and $10 for children ages 10 and younger.