LOWER EAST SIDE — The Mr. Lower East Side Pageant — part spectacle of masculinity, part bacchanalian punk theater of the absurd — is returning to the Lower East Side after temporarily moving to Brooklyn last year, according to organizers.
“It's like the Miss Universe Pageant — if all the contestants were weird and hairy and like beer,” event founder and neighborhood artist/performer Jen Miller, aka “Reverend Jen,” told DNAinfo New York.
During the pageant, which is now in its 17th year, contestants partake in a one-minute talent show, a swimsuit and evening wear contest, and a question and answer round. The panel of judges is comprised of women and gay men.
Whoever receives the most ballots is hailed the winner, whose prizes this year include “a slice of pizza from Rosario’s, a six-pack of Budweiser and the knowledge that he has been chosen by the people,” according to the event's Facebook page.
Second and third place are crowned “Mr. Tribeca” and “Mr. Gowanus,” respectively.
Last year, the pageant was canceled at the last minute for fear that the venue, Ludlow Street’s embattled Cake Shop, would risk violating capacity and nudity laws, Miller said. Lucky 13 Saloon in Gowanus offered to host the festivities instead.
“Of course I wanted to keep it on the Lower East Side, because the Lower East Side has been my home for 22 years now...and it is also the Mr. Lower East Side Pageant [laughs],” said Miller, who has seen her community undergo immense change over time.
“[The LES] is becoming less a center for art and weirdness and eccentricity and fun, than it's more or less just a bedroom community for rich people now,” she said.
Miller, who sees herself as a “matriarch of the community,” said that the Mr. Lower East Side Pageant is a way to hold onto that weirdness. And despite recent issues with her health, unemployment and battling eviction, Miller said the show must go on.
“When you're on your death bed, you're not going to be like, ‘Did I pay my gas bill?’ You're going to be like, ‘Did I have a great f---ing time?’ That's what life is about — this show is always fun.”
The Mr. Lower East Side Pageant takes place at 9 pm on March 21 at the Slipper Room, located at 167 Orchard St. Tickets can be bought in advance.
