Chez Est

10/23/2026

The Chez celebrates 50 Years with…

KYNK 🎃 THE FE**SH BALL
A Night of Leather & Fe**sh
Presented by George Hicks-Richards

🗓️Saturday October 24th
⏰8pm - 2am

Wear your best Kink inspired looks,
all Kink styles welcome.
*$100 CASH PRIZE for the best look!*

Live Demos 😈
House Music 🔊

Remember, KYNK is a celebration of the fe**sh & leather community and kink/leather/fe**sh attire is the dress code- you may be refused entry otherwise.
*Clothing check is available at the door*

Doors Open: 8:00pm

**M

10/23/2026

✨🎉✨TONIGHT✨🎉✨

Come out to celebrate Robin Fiercè’s Birthday with this stellar cast!

Showtimes: 11:30 & 12:30

10/20/2026

Thank You Governor Ned Lamont for this great honor.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

📄TEXT FROM THE LETTER:

Whereas, Chez Est, Hartford, Connecticut's iconic, longest-running LGBTQ+ restaurant, bar, and cabaret, this month of October 2026 celebrates its historic 50th year in business serving as a gathering place for Connecticut's gay and q***r community and its allies; and

Whereas, borrowing its name from the French phrase "at home", Chez Est has played a central role for the past five decades in creating a comfortable safe space for those in Connecticut's LGBTQ+ community - particularly throughout times of momentous adversity, including the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the HIV/AIDS epidemic from 1981 through the early 1990s; and

Whereas, Chez Est was first established in June 1976 - only just a few years after the historic Stonewall riots took place in June 1969, marking a new beginning for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world - and was first owned by Gary Bouchard, a straight ally who operated the venue as a full-time gay bar; and

Whereas, over the years since its founding, Chez Est has persisted through challenges, including two fires, a relocation, and the pandemic, and in 2008, the club would be purchased by Bryan Couzens, who sold it again in October 2017 to John Pepe, former employee and longtime patron; and

Whereas, over the past 50 years, Chez Est has cultivated a welcoming, inviting, and inclusive community and has created a home for Connecticut drag, hosting performers from across the state, as well as stars from the Emmy Award-winning television series RuPaul's Drag Race such as Amethyst, Robin Fierce, Loosey LaDuca, Aquaria, and more; and

Whereas, on the occasion of its anniversary celebration, I would like to share my most sincere congratulations with the employees, families, friends, and allies of Chez Est - may you continue to enjoy prosperity, and dedication to the ideals of the State of Connecticut for years to come; now

Therefore, I, Ned Lamont, Governor of the State of Connecticut - in honor of its momentous anniversary, and in recognition of its rich history of accomplishment in our state - on this day of Saturday, October 17, 2026, do hereby officially convey honor and recognition upon

Chez Est

on the occasion of its
50th Anniversary
in the state of Connecticut

- Ned Lamont
Governor

10/19/2026

VIP Meet & Greet Photos from The Chez Celebrates 50 Years ✨ Featuring Aquaria

📸 By .of.ty

10/19/2026

✨FOREVER FIERCE✨
🎉Robin’s Birthday Celebration🎉
✨Presented by Robin Fierce✨
🏁From RuPaul’s Drag Race (S15)🏁

🗓️Friday October 23rd
⏰9pm - 2am

Featuring Performances By:
✨Robin Fierce
✨Angelina Fierce
✨Natalia Fierce
✨Kenya Mone Heart

Showtimes: 11:30pm & 12:30am

🔊Dance Music ALL NIGHT LONG by DJ Edgewood

Bar Hours: 8pm - 2am

10/15/2026

✨The Chez’s 50th Anniversary Celebration✨
✨Featuring Aquaria✨
🏁Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race (S10)🏁

‼️NEW HEADLINER - ALL TICKETS ARE STILL VALID.
EMAIL [email protected] IF YOU PREFER A REFUND‼️

Saturday October 17th
8pm - 2am

Featuring Performances By:
✨Aquaria (RPDR SEASON 10 WINNER)
✨Angel Rivers (MX. Chez Est 2026)
✨Angelina Fierce
✨Lady Tatiana

Showtimes: 11:30pm & 12:30am

Category is…✨G✨O✨L✨D✨
Wear a touch of GOLD or dress head to toe in GOLD, in honor of our 50th Anniversary!

Meet & Greet starts promptly at 10pm and ends at 11pm (VIP ticket holders only). The Chez will provide a professional photographer and your photo will be uploaded to our page within the following week (no personal cameras during meet & greet please, Thank You)

VIP Meet & Greet AND General Admission Tickets
‼️‼️‼️‼️ON SALE NOW‼️‼️‼️‼️
🎟️ https://chezest.com/online-tickets 🎟️
(General Admission also sold at the door)

***This event is 21+ ONLY***

The Bar will be open 8pm - close

09/27/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out last night for A Night at Babylon!

What an incredible night! The energy in the room was absolutely amazing, and seeing everyone dancing, smiling, and enjoying themselves made all the hard work worth it. Thank you for showing up and making the night so special!

Sabrina EA, you are incredible! 🔥 Thank you so much for bringing the energy and keeping everyone on the dance floor all night. It was truly a pleasure working with you, and I can’t wait to do it again!

John Pepe, thank you for everything last night. You absolutely went all out for this event, and I appreciate everything you did to help make it such a special night. ❤️

A special thank you to DÖMINIØK and JMR ✨ for dancing last night and showing off those amazing moves! You both brought so much energy to the stage.

Last night was definitely one for the books. Thank you all for making A Night at Babylon unforgettable.

I can’t wait to do it again!

09/10/2026

Thank You ConnecticutDrag.com for this wonderful article, we’re so excited to celebrate The Chez Celebrates 50 Years ✨ Featuring Jaida Essence Hall with you all!

By Kevin Ferrisi – Fifty years is a long time for any nightclub, but for Chez Est, reaching the half-century mark is about much more than longevity. The Hartford institution has spent five decades serving as a gathering place for Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ community, and this October, the club will ce...

09/04/2026

Important Message, Please Read:

An entertainer is a person whose job or goal it is to perform for the amusement of others.

In entertainment, drag is a stylized performance of femininity, masculinity, or alternative gender expression using costumes, makeup, and theatrical personas.

Drag Queens are performers who adopt an over-the-top feminine presentation. Drag Kings are performers who adopt a masculine persona. Shows often feature lip-syncing, live singing, dancing, comedy, and social satire in venues such as theaters and clubs.

The practice has a rich history rooted in q***r culture, ballroom scenes, and modern platforms.

Now that our English lesson is over...

It has come to my attention that an AFAB trans male drag entertainer was denied entry into the upcoming Entertainer of the Year competition scheduled to be held here at the Chez on October 8th…

Nowhere on the application does it ask for gender. Nowhere on the application does it state that all contestants must be assigned male at birth. Nowhere on the application does it list or link to the official rules for the competition.

The rejected entertainer received a text message saying it “doesn’t look like they qualify” to compete.

This decision was made solely based on an assumption about their gender.

After an extensive conversation with the hosts, judges, promoter, and EOY, they remain unwilling to change their outdated criteria.

We were told that their year of preliminary competition is almost over and that they would not change their rules this late in the game. They did, however, say they are willing to have a bigger conversation about it after this year and look at what could potentially change moving forward.

In my opinion, that statement should be taken with a grain of salt.

It is clear that the current values of Entertainer of the Year and the Chez do not align, and for that reason, I have chosen to cancel the event altogether.

As the owner of the Chez, my first responsibility is to the community that has supported us for decades. As you know, we have a large trans, nonbinary and AFAB community, and I have a hard time hosting an event where members of that community could be excluded simply because of their s*x assigned at birth.

I am super excited to celebrate our 50th Anniversary month with you and all of the diverse entertainment we already have planned.

With all the love in my heart, ♥️ John

06/26/2026

32 collective years of Stewards of The Chez Est ✨

SAVE THE DATE for The Chez’s 50th Anniversary Celebration ✨ Featuring Jaida Essence Hall