Kelowna mayor steps out in drag at Sugarplum Ball

Clad in a hot pink shirt underneath a tuxedo, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran strutted the runway wearing a face that was almost unrecognizable.

Basran bravely told his makeup artist hours before, ‘Do whatever your heart desires.’ So she did.

The mayor received the full drag makeup treatment: false eyelashes, bright lipstick, and lots and lots of glitter.

READ MORE: Kelowna’s Mayor Sugarplum ready for big reveal

On Saturday night, at the first-ever Sugarplum Ball, Mayor Sugarplum made his debut.

“Drag can be artistic. It doesn’t have to be a dude in a dress. It can be whatever you want it to be,” said Nicole Malko, Basran’s makeup artist.

It was meant to be an insult when Basran was first called Mayor Sugarplum.

Last summer, city council approved funding for rainbow crosswalks to be painted in the Lawrence Avenue and Pandosy Street area. Critics went online, giving the mayor the now-famous nickname.

“They were thinking they were insulting me, but I actually found it kind of funny,” Basran said.

READ MORE: Rainbow crosswalks in downtown Kelowna

Basran wanted to turn the backlash to something positive, so he reached out to Okanagan Pride Society and Okanagan Young Professionals, and together, they created Sugarplum Ball.

“I think it is so important and so fantastic to be a part of something where a public figure is so willing, especially a politician, to challenge the status quo,” said Sydney Lawson, President of Okanagan Pride Society.

The event sold all 400 tickets with proceeds going to the Okanagan Pride Society.

With the success of the inaugural event, organizers have already started discussing next year’s party.

“So I will keep doing this until it doesn’t make headlines anymore,” Basran said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So I will keep doing this until it doesn't make headlines anymore," Basran said.