Rosmariesbaby.com

John Gardner, of Aria Floral, started “Birthdays Are A Drag” years ago in New Orleans.

In order to ride the Birthday Bus, party goers were required to wear drag. The bus would take the participants on a bar tour of the city, terrorizing unsuspecting folks along the way.

In 1998, John moved to Seattle. Along with him came the party. There were 18 participants that first year. Each year thereafter, the party grew immensely - constantly changing the surprise locations, until the last party in 2005 tallied over 100 people. “Birthdays Are A Drag” was named the “Most Coveted Party Invitation” by OUT magazine in 2001. A documentary crew followed the 2002 event.

John passed on the torch to Philip Heier in 2006. The “Drag Bus” was then re-created into a charity event where drag is not required (though encouraged), the color theme mandatory, and the locations of the tour are no longer a secret.