The 2026 ALTBALL Raised the Roof and Thousands of Dollars for Doorways

By Grayling Holmes / photos by artist as indicated

Electric!

Thrilling!

Spectacle!

Exhilarating!

Galvanizing!

Those are five words that describe ALTBALL 2026: ICON. VIP tickets to the event sold out in minutes – a testament to the power and performance level of the freshman and sophomore years that the event was in 2024 and 25. Junior year had to exceed those events. And, baby, the third incarnation of ALTBALL took you to school.

VIP’s were quickly ushered into the The Sovereign in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District the night of the ball. It was roped off like a Hollywood premiere. And like a premiere, the “stars” came R E A D Y to slay. The theme was ICON, as in music icons – Tina Turner – Gaga – Madonna – Prince – Bowie…to name a few. Some VIPs drove up to the door, and girlfriend, did everyone R E K A N I Z E that THEY had A R R I V E D.

The air literally sizzled with anticipation. And on the other side of the velvet rope stood the sold-out crowd eagerly awaiting get in. No shortage of glitzy costumes for them either. Just because you couldn’t score one of the coveted, and rare VIP tickets (there were only a limited number) didn’t mean that you were any less ball-ready. As far as the eye could see, from the front door of The Sovereign, to the nether regions of the Arts District, there was an ocean of funky fashion – some made by designers, others created from the minds of lovers of everything “distinct” and “different.”

Then there was the red carpet. Everyone got to walk it. Yes, it was Hollywood for the avant-garde, the peculiar, the afficionado of everything that is TODAY – fresh, hip, and, in a word ghetto marvelous – the world of ghetto alternate – those whose home for tonight was the ALTBALL, ALL that was fabulous about the kaleidoscopic LGBTQ+ and beyond communities.

Gee Gee Balenciaga / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Most of all, everyone came to open their hearts and their pocket books to DOORWAYS.

Every dollar raised at ALTBALL supports DOORWAYS, a St. Louis nonprofit that has served the community for nearly four decades. Founded in 1988 as an interfaith organization offering hospice care at the height of the AIDS crisis, DOORWAYS has evolved into one of the region's most critical providers of housing and wrap-around services for individuals and families affected by HIV, illness and poverty.

A whopping 100,000 greenbacks were raised on Saturday, May 15th, exceeding the prior two years since the inception of ALTBALL.

A portion of every ticket, every drink, and every piece of merch went DOORWAYS. The old cliché, “When people show up, they show out,” was more than that oft-used phrase, on the 15th of May; it was a time when the generosity of St. Louisans overflowed. No matter how rich or how poor, people opened up their wallets to help out this vital cause. The Gateway City showed it cared.

Boom! It was showtime. “Please make your way to your seats,” a disembodied voice on the PA system announced.” Attendees made their way to their seats with a quickness.

It was packed. The main level, the balcony, every square inch of the theater was filled.

Breathless anticipation filled the room.

Tiélere Cheatem—the night’s emcee, donned in a white cone bra ball gown. They appeared in a flash on stage and the room immediately knew that this was no ordinary evening.

Translucent elegance was the word that was conjured in everyone’s mind by here ethereal presence. On the massive stage that jutted into the arena, they looked bigger than life — gown gliding across the stage — strides like a gazelle — swirling skirt swung around their bodice as if it had a life of its own. The fabulous garment exuded attitude for days, as did the god on which it was embodied. They extended their arms with what seemed like miles on gossamer and feathery wings, which literally floated, or so it seemed. They threw the crowd into a frenzy.

Tiélere Cheatem, the evening’s emcee, opens the show / photo Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

The tone was set for what would become a breathtaking, boundary-pushing spectacle of fashion, music and performance… a night unlike anything St. Louis had ever seen before.

Opulence in world-class drag, stunning fashion, booty bumping music, and crowd-pleasing mayhem spilled from the stage onto the onlookers – everyone caught some of the unbridled voltage emanating from the raised platform.

The arena was taken to a new place, again, and, and again.

A potpourri of his-trionics, her-strionics, they-strionics, them-strionics and every shade of the rainbow of pronouns in the universe were on full display glowing as bright as the cosmos.

First up, a fashion show with 30 local designers who brought their A+ games. The models were kick ass! They elevated the art of runway to a new level.

ALTBALL Sophomore Year

The Designers FOR ALTBALL 2026

An incredible set of artists and designers came together to bring their diverse perspectives to the ALTBALL runway.

and special guest designer Utica Queen

Next, there was a contest that rivaled the LGBT ballroom subculture of the 70s and 80s. Can you say P O S E? Tens across the board.

And if that weren’t enough, St. Louis legend Vanessa Frost channeled Cardi B and brought the house down with her scorching gyrations.

Vanessa Frost performing a high-energy Cardi B medley / photo by Nadia Abusoud @nads.shots

RuPaul's Drag Race and Project Runway star Utica Queen.

Then Utica took the stage. The throng went wild. She brought out her cadre of models wearing her sublime creations.

It was a night where you just had to be there. But there was room for only so many devotees of the alt.

"ALTBALL was always meant to be a platform; a space for our community to show what we're capable of when we come together. And every year, we blow past what any of us imagined. The designers, the performers, the countless volunteers, the people from all walks of life who show up and show out for a cause—they're what made tonight what it was. Three years in, it's clear we can go bigger. And we will," said ALTBALL organizer Chris Lintz.

The ALTBALL may have outgrown the limited confines of the Sovereign. For DOORWAYS, the annual event literally raised the roof off the motha’! And as Chris alluded to, the ALTBALL Class of 2027 may need a bigger “boat.” No roof, no arena, no building may be big enough to hold all the talent it continues to drew. The ALTBALL is, in a word, EXPLOSIVE.

For more information, visit altball.org or follow @altball.stl on Instagram.

ALTBALL 2026: ICON The Night In Pictures

Karma Valentino wearing Saint Patrik / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Bjorn Wallander, Ash Hever, Charles Smith, Annie Brahler, Adam Day, Ronnie Vinton, Joshua Allen Spangler / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Karma Valentino wearing Saint Patrik / photo Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

Josh Ortega wearing Callieco Couture / photo Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

Harriet Fitzpatrick, Bianca Fitzpatrick / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Blu Miyake Mugler and Moo Moo Ebony compete in the vogue ball / photo Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

Lindsey Okafor wearing Utica Queen / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Ali Breitbach, Alice Sydow / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Rhylea Johnson and Kapona wearing Utica Queen / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Kristin Thompson, Kyle Crocker, Rachel Quirk, Ryan Falk, Dylan Kennedy, Blake Anderson / photo provided by Ryan Falk

Kira Bodega Lanvin wearing Felia Davenport / pphoto Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

Kelly Bagwe and Alexis Austin in Shanna Britta / photo Nadia Abusoud @nads.shots

Jeff Foster, Don Foster, Keith Thompson / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Ruby Baby wearing Mariel a la Mode / photo Sam Simon @samssimon.jpg

Kate Schoemehl and Jenny Brader of Metro Medspa / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Maxi Glamour wearing Elisa Pritchett / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Anastasia Intervention, Austin Murphy / photo Joan Fisher @joan_fisher

Lady Stout performing an up tempo Elle Fitzgerald number / photo Liz Glas @l.glas_

Joa Frey wearing Utica Queen / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Jiyah Owens wearing B2FLY / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Lauren Dubuque wearing Umi Dreami / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Tala Doughty wearing Michael Drummond / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Cookie Sainz wearing Olivia Radle / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Yining Pan wearing Felia Davenport / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Alexis Austin wearing Shanna Britta / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

Juniper Rose Cudney wearing Utica Queen / photo Sam Wright @samwright.jpg

About DOORWAYS

DOORWAYS provides housing and supportive services for those in our community affected by HIV, illness and poverty. Founded in 1988, their programs include behavioral health, food assistance, career development and multiple platforms of housing. Today, they serve over 3,500 individuals each year. Learn more at doorwayshousing.org.