Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Christmas events

The winter holidays can easily be either the most wonderful or the most lonely time in a person’s year. For those of us from overseas who by choice or necessity are sticking it out in Tokyo this New Year’s, the thought of spending the holidays far from home can be daunting.

For queer folk, the first place we turn to for friends, merriment and comfort is always our local LGBTQ+ community — be it the physical neighborhoods of Shinjuku Ni-chome or Ueno, or the broader network of events centering on queer patrons. Ni-chome itself is open throughout the New Year period, and many folks report that the bars feel just about as lively as any other weekend night out on the town, with most spots breaking into New Year’s countdowns on the evening of Dec. 31.

However, for those looking for something more special and celebratory, there are plenty of parties, raves and drag shows planned in the final weeks of 2024 to keep your cup of joy running over this season.

Pre-Christmas cheer

Held on Dec. 20 at Studio Freedom in Shibuya, Waifu Deluxe Edition is run by a queer feminist collective that organizes safe and inclusive parties that are especially welcoming toward artists and leftist thinkers. This event will feature local performers Labianna Joroe and Lethal Pixie, as well as special overseas guest, Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad. The performance marks Murad’s first visit to East Asia.

No need for a silent night with all these holiday events.
| GETTY IMAGES

Also taking place on Dec. 20 at R Lounge in Shibuya is a year-end party put on by Fetch, a queer underground party founded by DJs Intoxxy, Meleetime and Muneo. They have a massive bash planned, featuring multiple live performances and Brazilian-born baile funk and techno DJs. Drag queens for the night include Gyoza Tonin-Anang, Kosmic Sans and Magatama (a rap duo consisting of queens Okini Marciano and Kaguya).

For friendly daytime entertainment on Dec. 22 at Tencups Lounge in Shibuya, the budding drag brunch scene of Tokyo is happy to oblige. Tencups carries a decidedly California vibe, with elaborate coffee options and brunch choices such as avocado toast and yogurt and granola. Mimosas are readily available, but by no means mandatory, and the queens for the day are local staples Labianna Joroe and Jessica Jewelry Savannah, as well as Osaka’s Aika Markova.

Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve

On the evening of Christmas Day, when your energy begins to drop, what better way to light things up again than with a special drag show at Shinjuku Ni-chome’s Aisotope Lounge. The event will feature live singing by organizer Dita Starmine and accompanying acts including by Lil’Grand-Bitch, Shakureiko, Yamada Hoanita (of Tokyo Sankyu fame) and Tatiana Octavia.

Also at Aisotope Lounge, the New Year’s Eve party known as the “Joso Kohaku Uta Gassen” (or “Crossdresser Red and White Song Battle”), a spoof on NHK’s New Year’s Eve program of the same name, the Aiso Count Down Party is one of the largest and best-known holiday celebrations in Tokyo’s queer scene. Here, Aisotope’s formidable cast of drag queens and talents, often numbering over a dozen, perform different acts, pantomimes and lip-syncs. This is a particularly good chance to see Japanese-language drag at its finest — it’s the sort of party anyone lucky enough to be staying in Japan over the New Year shouldn’t miss.