Wigstock, whose name alludes to the 1969 Woodstock Festival, was an annual outdoor drag festival that took place between 1984 and 2001 in various locations throughout New York City. Held every Labor Day weekend, the festival acted as an unofficial end of summer for NYC’s LGBTQ+ community.

​Canadian Photographer Pierre Dalpé documented Wigstock from 1992-1995 at the height of its popularity, a period in history when gender boundaries and trans politics were on the verge of a revolution, not just in the LGBTQ+ community but in North American pop culture and beyond.

With its inclusion of people from a multitude of backgrounds and communities, at a time when queer people were experiencing overwhelming anxiety, hate, and backlash because of the AIDS pandemic, Wigstock was a much needed opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to express joy, strength, audacity, and pride.

Pierre Dalpé writes, "Wigstock included spectacular on-stage drag performances and musical acts, but the most compelling aspect for me was the audience itself. Mainstream pop culture was put through a gender blender by thousands of people in all sorts of cross-dressing drag, carnivalesque costumes, Halloween outfits, DIY fashion, and fetish wear. Wigstock attendees illustrated an early 90’s queer aesthetic while critiquing mainstream culture by appropriating, remixing, and queering it. Despite the many gains the LGBTQ+ community has made in the past 30 years, we are still fighting for many of the same rights. I feel that this body of work is an important time capsule from the past, as it speaks to where we are coming from, and allows the conversation to continue regarding where we are going; not only in terms of LGBTQ+ rights but the rights of all people to express themselves freely, no matter their gender, race, religion or background."