Photos | Mississippi Drag Queens Perform at Equality Fest

BILOXI, Miss.—Pride flags waved strongly in the wind as a crowd of people made their way to find seats near the stage ahead of “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” performance at the the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Fest held on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Great Lawn of Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Miss.

The event, which occurs annually during LGBTQ+ History Month, is designed to celebrate the queer community on the coast and its supporters. Activities included speakers, drag performances, live music, local vendors and more. Organizers said around 1,500 people attended the event throughout the day.

Sabrina Thornton, a local LGBTQ+ business owner, attended the festival as a vendor, and donned pink, yellow and blue eyeshadow, representing the pansexual pride flag. As the owner of Love Is…Pride and Geek Boutique, Thornton hopes to be a role model and provide a safe space to the younger queer generation.

“It’s really hard to find LGBTQ+ stuff around and stuff that’s representative of everybody,” Thornton said. “An so I was like, ‘I love to make stuff, so why not just make it?’ So I started making (LGBTQ+ crafts), and I go to all kinds of markets, but of course pride markets are my favorite.”

Here are some photos from this year’s festival on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

A drag queen wears a rainbow feathered jacket as she performs at a drag show — A drag queen wears a rainbow feathered jacket as she performs at the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

spectators hand a drag queen tips during a show held outside — Jawakatema Davenport accepts tips from spectators during the The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity show at the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Mississippi on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

someone wearing pride merch sits in front of a rainbow flag — Sabrina Thornton sits at a table in front of a sign with the colors of the pride flag and messages of support for minority communities. Thornton is the owner of Love Is…Pride and Geek Boutique, a local LGBTQ+ boutique that has been selling handmade LGBTQ+ crafts for eight years. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

yard gnomes with rainbow hats sit atop a vendor table — Sabrina Thornton sells gnomes decorated with rainbow pride-themed hats and rainbow dragonflies at the Love Is…Pride and Geek Boutique tent during the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

A crowd sits in front of an outdoor stage, a sign reads 'Gulf Coast Equality Fest' — A crowd fills seats at an outdoor stage ahead of the “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., during the Gulf Coast Equality Festival on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

someone wearing a pride shirt that says ‘Free Mom Hugs’ makes jewelry — Patti Chinn, the owner of Serendipity Crafts, fashions a bracelet during the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

a drag queen in a red sparkly dress kicks her foot into the air while performing at an outside festival — A drag queen kicks her foot into the air during “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer.

A drag queen wearing a rainbow pride outfit performs among the seated crowd at a daytime festival held outdoors — Catastrophe Nicole Knight performs during “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at the 10th Annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

A drag queen with bright red hair and a blue and leopard print dress performs at a festival held outside — A drag queen interacts with the crowd during “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

Tents with vendors line a grassy field as a person wearing a nonbinary flag as a cape walks past. — Festival attendees visit vendors that line Harrah’s Lawn during the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

a drag queen wearing a long blonde wig, sparkly red jumpsuit and white belt performs among the seated crowd at an outside festival — A drag queen lip syncs to the crowd during “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at the 10th Annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

pride flags wave in the wind on a vendor’s tent — Pride flags wave in the wind during the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

a drag queen with a blonde wig and sparkly red and pink outfit performs for the crowd at an outside festival — A drag queen reaches toward the crowd during “The Drag Spectacular: A Decade of Diversity” show at the 10th-annual Gulf Coast Equality Festival at Harrah’s Lawn in Biloxi, Miss., on Oct. 17, 2026. MFP Photo by Amy Schafer

For more information on Gulf Coast Equality Fest, visit gulfcoastequalitycouncil.org.

Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and read past stories here. View more MFP photo galleries here.

Mississippi Free Press stories are always free because we believe everyone should have access to quality journalism. Donations from readers like you make that possible. Please click here to give to help sustain and grow vital, people-over-power journalism for Mississippians.

Readers can sign up for our free newsletters here.