Top performer still has the chops

CAPE Town’s sassy Kat Gilardi is the queen of drag.

Gilardi’s claim to fame, or her story as she prefers to call it, started in the year of her reign when she was 32 and scored a hat trick in 2010 by winning Miss Cape Town Pride, Miss Gay Town and Miss Gay Western Cape.

On the local drag scene, these are the three pageants to win if you’d like to make a name for yourself.

She recalls when she and her partner, Errol Stroebel, went to the Pride office to enquire about being facilitators.

“They said they had enough facilitators but if I wanted to help, I could enter the pageant as a drag queen,” she said.

“At the time, I had no idea what being a drag queen was but my partner encouraged me. I entered as a novice and ended up winning.”

The Cape Town drag queen said she would never forget the first time she stepped into drag.

“It was a Sunday morning and the auditions for Miss Pride. I wore shorts, stilettos and a bralette. I felt like a fish out of water being stared at,” she said.

“That transformation process of looking at yourself in the mirror is what I love the most about drag. In the pandemic, drag was the only thing that lifted my spirits, it’s a grounding experience for me,” she said.

The multi-talented drag queen is the mastermind behind Diva’s One Night Only show, which celebrates its 10th year.

Gilardi said winning Miss Gay Western Cape could be likened to winning Miss SA in that, in the year of your reign, you get to launch a passion project.

“I fell in love with the art form of drag. When I was asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to shine a light on the entertainment section of drag.

“I came up with the concept of seeing who the seasoned and upcoming queens are and giving them the opportunity to share the stage.”

Gilardi said celebrating one decade of Divas One Night Only means that the art form is thriving.

“It makes me so emotional to see people from all walks of life and all ages, enjoying what we put on,” she said.