Slay the World _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

As one of Wellington’s most prominent drag queens, Kelly Fornia [pictured] has been serving looks and slaying stages across New Zealand for nearly a decade, but now she is ready to Slay the World. Just before heading overseas to London, she is embarking on one last journey to give Pōneke everything she’s got with her most ambitious show yet: the first drag concert the capital has ever seen.

Slay the World: Kelly Fornia’s Drag Concert will feature over 100 minutes of non-stop performances by Kelly, her backup dancers, and special Wellington drag guests over two nights at Te Auaha. Opening the show is campy vampy Selina Simone, Pōneke’s very own multi-award-winning retro renegade. Friday the 22^nd of March stars special guests JTHAN (of The Tiwhas) and Olivia Dreams, while the 23^rd welcomes Bunny Holiday and Eddie D’Amore to the stage.

As for Kelly, during her time in New Zealand’s drag scene, she has made waves in the LGBTQIA+ community, producing and performing in hundreds of shows including TVNZ’s House of Drag season two. In 2022, she made history by producing The Greatest Drag Show, the biggest drag show Wellington had seen, which focused solely on local drag performers.

Ever since she was birthed by Beyoncé as her secret child, Kelly has strived to make every performance her Super Bowl halftime show. Slay the World is her moment. With iconic choreography, legendary looks, and music for all generations, this production is guaranteed to be Kelly’s final slay before she sashays away.