11-02-2025
Savannah Performing Arts Festival sponsor backs out due to drag performers
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The Savannah Performing Arts Festival has lost a sponsor, putting them in a financial bind and organizers said the reason lies in who they have to speak at a panel discussion.
'We're having some of the city's best drag queens in to talk about the art of creating that illusion,' Rick Garman with the festival said. 'And when [the sponsor] found out that drag was going to be included in the festival, they pulled out. It's disappointing and offensive.'
Garman said this is an event for all ages, and the daytime events are appropriate. According to him, it was no secret who their speakers and performers would be at their events.
The panel, called 'Heels and Hair: The Art of Drag', is happening Thursday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. The discussion is only 45 minutes, which is a small portion of the festival compared to the remaining two weeks of events.
The festival didn't say who the sponsor is or how much money they were giving but that it was a significant amount.
Now, the organization is relying on credit cards and hoping they can keep the events going.
'Our performances, our panels and our musical and all that stuff that we're doing over the next two weeks has groups and people from all over the city, all different walks of life and all different kinds of art,' Garmin said. 'The arts should serve everyone. The idea that we would put on something that would exclude somebody just because we're worried that somebody is not going to like it, we're not going to do that.'
If you would like to support the show, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
