The Rebel King's Kingceañera Celebration
6551 Telegraph ave, Oakland
January 30, 2026
Joy is the name of the game for the witty and diverse shows from The Rebel Kings of Oakland (RKO). On this night at the White Horse Bar, the room was packed with a delightful variety of people, many of whom had attended anti ICE protests earlier that day, all eagerly focused on the stage. The gathering marked the group’s Kingceañera, a queer birthday celebration honoring the 15.5 years the show has been running. Mariachis tuned their instruments backstage, dancers in bright clothes filtered back and forth, and Drag Kings changed into costume while greeting the crowd. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence wove in and out of the room, their perfectly made up white faces glowing in the dim light. Free screen printing and some lovely free tacos were provided by the Rebel Kings. When hosts VERA! and Jota Mercury bounced into the crowd, their infectious laughter lifted the energy even higher.
Jota Mercury, whose tag line is the "Drag King who puts the Cheese in Machismo", remains a comedic force within the Bay Area drag scene. VERA! may be one of the most prolific drag parents working today, having fostered countless novice performers onto the stage. They may also look familiar as the stage husband to Pattie Gonia, the critically acclaimed Drag Queen, environmentalist, and activist. Together, along with a wide circle of like minded artists, they have sustained The Rebel Kings even through the pandemic, when the show temporarily moved online.
The night opened with music from El Sol de Mexico, followed by Folclorico Colibri, whose dancers ultimately swept audience members onto the floor. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence offered heartfelt blessings, grounding the celebration in both ritual and humor. Drag performances by Vegas Jake, Randy Puck, Joey Gelato Helixir Jynder Byntwell, Jaeson Trouble, and Mickey Finn kept the crowd singing along and trading puns. Highlights included the reveal of Jota’s twin sombrero pasties, the joyful absurdity of a lip sync to Come Sail Away by Styx, and Helixir’s uncanny ability to make the room feel instantly welcoming. Dollar bills rained down from an audience grinning without restraint. If a performer’s lip sych missed the mark a little, the other performers were quick to pick up the baton. The King’s were there to lift one another up and to keep the comedy high.
“The Rebel Kings is where I started doing drag six years ago,” said Helixer. “I just felt so supported. I’ve met the best and most talented people. When you come to a Rebel King’s show, you can actually feel community.”
The timing of this Kingceañera felt especially resonant, arriving as anti ICE protests unfolded across the nation. The show offered a reminder of what diversity and inclusion can bring to a community through creativity, resilience, humor, and heart. It proved to be a kind of collective medicine. I left smiling, my wallet empty of ones and songs looping endlessly in my head. The White Horse Bar, the oldest gay bar in the country, continues to host The Rebel Kings of Oakland every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday of the month.
