Meet the winner of the world’s most prestigious drag pageant
Miss Continental 2026 winner Gadfrie Arbulu. (Continental Pageantry)
Miss Continental 2026 winner Gadfrie Arbulu. (Continental Pageantry)
The winner of Miss Continental 2026 has been revealed.
Peruvian Gadfrie Arbulu won the international drag pageant, held at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre on Monday (1 September).
Lana Luxx finished second with Lila Starr third.
The initial stage featured 23 contestants who were whittled down to 12 after the first round on Sunday (31 August). That number was further reduced after the beauty and talent portions of the contest on Monday. Arbulu won the talent, swimwear and evening gown prizes, landing in the top five. The finalists then progressed to the interview segment before she was eventually crowned.
For her talent segment, Arbulu performed a mash-up of “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret and a remixed version of “Big Spender” from Sweet Charity. Her show featured exquisite costume changes and choreography, as well as backing dancers.
On Tuesday (2 September), the pageant’s Instagram account shared a video of Arbulu immediately after being named the winner. Wearing a glittering orange dress with a large bejewelled crown on her head, she is seen clutching a bouquet of red roses and her trophy as Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” played in the background.
Taking to Instagram herself, Arbulu shared a number of images and wrote: “What an unforgettable weekend. I’m filled with gratitude for the love, support and encouragement I received throughout this journey. To my incredible sponsors, loyal supporters and chosen family, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“Your belief in me means everything. This is only the beginning and I’m beyond excited to showcase the rest of what I have to offer on the Miss Continental stage. The work continues, the passion grows and the dream lives on.”
The 45th winner of the event was showered with praise online. RuPaul’s Drag Race star Laganja Estranja called the win “well-deserved” while Gia Gunn posted applauding emojis.
One fan wrote: “Congratulations, I wish y’all had a reality show,” while someone else said, “Queen, it’s your time, it’s your moment, you have been waiting for this… now is your time to reign.”
Arbulu has entered the pageant twice before, finishing second three years ago and in the top 12 in 2014, the same year she was named miss glamorous newcomer.
Former winners of Miss Continental include Drag Race‘s Sasha Colby and Canada’s Drag Race star Brooklyn Hytes.
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