A tribute to John Waters legend Divine. (Photo: Scott Lynch)

The fifth annual Bushwig festival turned the Knockdown Center into a rowdy two-day celebration of “Drag, Music & Love” this weekend, as nearly 150 queens and kings performed for thousands of fans of all things cheeky, flirty, pretty, raw, and/or raunchy. This was the biggest Bushwig yet, with two stages–one in the venue’s cavernous main hall, and another out in the rambling backyard–plus several first-rate food vendors, plenty of access to booze, and a whole separate room devoted to “Bushswag!”

If you’ve never been, the basic Bushwig entertainment runs like this: a performer– usually in drag but sometimes just rocking a wild, sexy outfit, gets up on stage and lip-syncs her/his/their way through a single song. These are all spectacularly good, with tight choreography, elaborate makeup and props, and an abundance of exuberance and charm.