The energy was unmatched, the talent was overflowing, and the community showed up in a big way for the Secret Garden Kiki Ball at The LGBTQ+ Center of Las Vegas.
Held on August 15, the event welcomed more than 150 attendees for an unforgettable evening rooted in the legacy of Black and Brown queer Ballroom culture and celebrating community, creativity, fashion, performance, and self-expression.
The packed house brought together the Las Vegas ballroom scene alongside visiting houses and participants, with the West Coast, East Coast, and South all represented under one roof.
Relive the energy of the Secret Garden Kiki Ball
Welcome to the Secret Garden
The Secret Garden came to life through a full evening of competition, fashion, performance, and Ballroom culture, with more than $4,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.
Leading the evening were Icon Overall Mother Kiko Old Navy and Legendary International Overseer Dale VonDutch, with MC BAM Bodega and Mya Dior keeping the energy going throughout the night. DJ Arsene 007 provided the soundtrack as competitors took to the floor.
The evening welcomed participants, judges, and members from the House of Peaches, House of Glossier, House of Diesel, House of Old Navy, House of Tiffany and Co, House of Von Dutch, and House of Bodega.
Category Is...
Inspired by the Secret Garden theme, competitors brought their creativity and talent to categories that transformed the floor throughout the evening.
Runway: Fleur Fantasy invited competitors to command the floor with style and presence, while Face: Botanical Beauty put beauty and confidence in the spotlight. Performance: Spirit of the Willow brought movement, energy, and showmanship to the competition.
For Team Realness: The Royal Entourage, competitors took on the category together, while Best Dressed: The Sovereign of the Grand Gala turned the floor into a showcase of head-to-toe fashion.
And everyone came ready to compete.
The performances were one of the night's biggest highlights, with competitors bringing incredible energy to their respective categories from beginning to end. The ball ran right on schedule, every prize was awarded, and the energy stayed high throughout the evening.
One especially exciting moment came from within The Center community when Turi from The Switch Closet won the Grand Prize for FF Best Dressed.
Building Ballroom Community at The Center
The Secret Garden Kiki Ball was about more than one incredible night. It was part of a growing opportunity to celebrate, learn about, and participate in Ballroom culture at The Center.
Leading up to the ball, community members had opportunities to build their skills and learn more through The Center's Ballroom Bootcamp series. The goal is to continue building on that momentum with more bootcamps, educational workshops, and opportunities to engage with Ballroom culture in the future.
Following the incredible turnout for the Secret Garden Kiki Ball, plans are already underway to make the event an annual celebration, with hopes of making next year's ball even bigger and creating even more opportunities for the community to participate.
A special thank you to our food sponsors, Tacotarian (@eattacotarian) and PublicUs (@publicuslv), as well as everyone who competed, judged, performed, attended, supported their house, and helped bring the Secret Garden to life.
