"The Drag Effect" LGBTQ+ Pridespiel '27

 

We are back on cold, hard ice and ready to welcome 20 teams to all of the Pride-filled fun this "family"-friendly bonspiel can offer!

WHEN: Thursday-Sunday, February 11th-14th, 2027 - Thursday night draws may not be needed, based on registration (see below).

COST: $480/Team, $120/Player (USD) 

FORMAT: Open (Teams can be any mix/order of genders) 

WHAT'S INCLUDED: A 3-game guarantee, Friday night Trivia, Saturday night Drag Bingo, a raffle table full of loot to raise money for charity - and, as always, Food and Drinks are included!

REGISTRATION OPENS SOON: Registration opens Monday, October 26th, 2026 at Noon (Central).

Like last time, registration opens first for individuals, groups, and teams with at least one LGBTQ+ curler. (Individuals and teams of all cishet allies are more than welcome to join us - but we do respectfully ask that you wait to sign-up until Friday, November 6th in order to give our rainbow siblings a chance to register.)

First draw times are first-come first-served, and registration closes January, 31st, 2027.

BONSPIEL INFO: We have room for 80 players (20 Teams total).

You can sign-up as an individual, duo, trio, or full team. When registering a group/team, click on the "Group" option, and then enter '2', '3', or '4' in the sign-up process. This helps us keep the right people together on the ice. (Looking to get together off the ice? That's on you, Boo.)

Don't have a full team? Register anyway. We mean it. We work hard to make this event as accessible to all LGBTQ+ curlers as possible, which means we understand not everyone has clubmates to travel with. We are always more than happy to play "teammate matchmaker" and put rinks together for the weekend. Join us and make some new friends!

FIRST DRAW TIMES: If at least 16 teams register, the First Draw will occur Thursday, February 11th at 7:30pm. All other draws will start the morning and early afternoon of Friday, February 12th.

Preference for First Draw Times will be given out in the order teams register, regardless of whether or not they're new or returning players. This allows us to keep things fair, and serves as an incentive to register early.

If you *want* to play Thursday night, please feel free to select that option. You'd be doing us a solid. It's also a sure-fire way to guarantee you won't have an early-morning draw on Friday.

HOTEL INFORMATION:  TBD - Stay tuned!

---

ABOUT THIS YEAR'S THEME:  It's our FIFTH year of running The Drag Effect. How time flies!!  As such, this year's theme is, "It's Giving, 'Into the Woods.'"

What on earth does that mean?  Well, the traditional gift for five-year anniversaries is wood. (Some places say the "modern" gift ought to be silverware, but that's boring.) So we're blending this with our love of musical theatre to create another loosey-goosey 'theme' for people to have fun with.

If it's hard wood, it's all good. If it's Broadway-based, it's all good. If you know your Sondheim and are aware "Into the Woods" is a musical about fairy tales and you want to dress up in your own clever take a classic fairy tale story, IT'S ALL GOOD. And these are just a few suggestions. Feel free to play around with this theme HOWEVER YOU WANT.  From costumes to fun team names, be as creative as you'd like. (Or don't. There's no costume contest or any prize for best team name. It's all just for funsies.) 

All we ask is that you please not wear anything on the ice that could potentially damage the surface (i.e. - glitter, sequins that could fall off, feathers from a boa, etc.).

---

BONSPIEL ENTERTAINMENT

There's plenty of fun to be had off the ice, too!

THURSDAY NIGHT MIXER: We kick things off with a mixer/party at the club Thursday, February 11th at 7:00pm. It's our way of welcoming everyone to Windy City Curling for the weekend. We've done this for the past four bonspiels, and it's always a lot of fun. Even if you're not playing Thursday night, come join us and meet your commrades!

FRIDAY NIGHT TRIVIA: Once again, we're going to be putting your off-ice knowledge to the test with our take on team trivia. The fun starts Friday night! (Exact time TBD, based on how many teams are in the bracket.)

DRAG BINGO w/ AURORA DIVINE: Our favorite Bingo Queen returns Saturday, February 13th at 8:00pm to host a fun-filled evening of games, performance, laughs, and prizes!  Aurora is a staple of the Chicago drag & bingo community and we're honored she's returning to us for the fifth time. We've been told she'll be looksmaxxing her outfit accordingly!

Find Aurora on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/theauroradivine/

---

ANY QUESTIONS?
Email us! We'll respond as soon as we can. --> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.