Best of KC 2025: Kansas City’s stage belongs to Lana Luxx
Lana Luxx. // Photo by Pilsen Photo Co-op
Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2025. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November.
When Lana Luxx steps on stage, the city pays attention. As a full-time drag performer and trans activist, she has revolutionized Kansas City’s nightlife into a showcase of spectacle, turning her performances into high-production events that feel more like pop-star world tours than bar acts. With regular appearances at Hamburger Mary’s, Missie B’s, and Brick’s Pub & Grub, she has become one of the city’s most visible and celebrated entertainers. This year, she also opened for drag icon and former Drag Race USA winner Sasha Colby, cementing her place among the most exciting performers working today.
Her creativity shines brightest in her Taylor Swift drag revue shows, where she reimagines the pop icon’s eras with original looks and electrifying energy. At KC Pride this year, she performed as Taylor Swift for family day, giving children the opportunity to “meet” one of their heroes.
Surpassing the glamour, however, is her impact through her authenticity. Luxx first made national headlines in 2015 as Missouri’s first transgender homecoming queen—a trailblazing moment of representation that emboldens trans youth today.
Her profession is now defined by the same tenacity and honesty. Luxx has taken her platform into activism as the grand marshal of the Kansas City Pride Parade, powerfully advocating for her community. Drag is more than a mere spectacle to her; it’s self-affirmation and a means of LGBTQ+ portrayal within the metro.
Luxx exemplifies both bravery and creativity in a city that thrives on both. Her activism is the only thing that can match her artistic talent, demonstrating the importance of drag in Kansas City’s narrative. Luxx is here to transform what it means to belong in more spaces than just the spotlight, although that is exactly where she should be.
Click below to read the November Best Of 2025 Issue of The Pitch Magazine:
