Astral88 brought Drag Brunch to La Union with fiery performances by Eva Le Queen, Arizona Brandy, Hana Beshie, ØV CÜNT, and Myx Chanel
Cosmic Fest was a music festival held at the popular beach vacation hotspot of La Union. The event was a vibrant junction of performance art, music, and community, intensely devoted to fostering creativity, inclusivity, and support for queer artists. And a fabulous drag brunch at Alpas La Union in Bacnotan set the Cosmic Fest in motion.
We chatted with Astral88’s Jon Galvez, whose vision for Cosmic Fest is to stage the show at different beach locations in the Philippines.
What inspired you to start Astral88?
“I’ve been working overseas for most of my professional career. Now that I am based in Manila, the plan is to continue to create various platforms and opportunities for queer artists to get more exposure to a larger audience by producing events, festivals, films, and other creative endeavors that showcase queer talent and performance art.”
What were your favorite moments from the Cosmic Fest Drag Brunch?
“Cosmic Fest started with a bang. The sun was scorching hot, but the performances of Eva Le Queen, Arizona Brandy, Hana Beshie, ØV CÜNT, and Myx Chanel were hotter!”
“Myx Chanel, the ethereal host of Cosmic Fest, kicked off the show with an electrifying performance of Beyonce’s Summer Renaissance.”
“Everyone felt blessed to witness a beautiful beach wedding in La Union from the enigmatic provocateur, ØV CÜNT.”
“Hana Beshie performed Salamat Musika wearing her Drag Race Philippines Season 2 promo look that gagged everyone.”
“The crowd went wild when Arizona Brandy performed “Walking On Air.” For the first time in La Union, there was a jumping ovation for Arizona Brandy.”
“Eva Le Queen was hotter than ever while slaying with a performance of Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer.'”
“Cosmic Fest was blessed with Marina Summers’ presence. That’s why Hana Beshie gave a wet and wild performance of Marina Summers’ “Divine” as a tribute to the Filipino diva in time for her birthday.”
“ØV CÜNT delivered a powerful performance of Jessie Ware’s Say You Love Me in a fierce red ensemble.”
“Arizona Brandy brought a giant Vape on stage, and everyone was hypnotized by her performance of Rihanna’s ‘Where Have You Been.'”
“Eva Le Queen closed the show by giving everyone opulence in a gold number. The queen supreme gave a breathtaking, heartfelt, and awe-inspiring performance of ‘A Million Dreams’ that made the audience tear up.”
What are your future plans for Astral88?
“My vision for Astral88 Prod is to create more events where there is no divide. I have always believed that one can appreciate, support, and love different forms of art. One can be into drag artistry while also supporting rock and metal bands. One can love hip-hop acts while also loving music by queer artists. I dream of producing more festivals, creative projects that provide equal opportunities for talented queer and local artists to celebrate all forms of performance art, hoping that more people will be open to embrace it all.”
