Aurora Pride Headliner Jaymes Mansfield Keeps the Sprit Alive All Summer

Aurora Pride 2025 will feature none other than Jaymes Mansfield, a beloved drag queen hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, as the mainstage headliner. 

Best-known for her appearance on Ru-Paul’s Drag Race Season 9 and All-Stars Season 8, she became iconic for her beautiful wigs, which she has made a business out of after her time on the show. She also has a successful YouTube channel where she posts vlogs, reactions, wig-styling videos, and more. 

We interviewed Jaymes Mansfield about her upcoming performance and about the importance of Pride! 

What made you want to come to Colorado?  

Honestly, I love Colorado! I drove through it when I traveled to Vegas to move there. We actually drove from Wisconsin to Nevada, and we drove through Colorado a little bit. Beautiful state, oh my god—so much green.  

Are you looking forward to performing at Aurora Pride? Is there anything specific that has you excited?  

Yeah, I’m so excited! The Colorado crowds are like none other, like, they’re so cool and have so much energy, and just like, a different vibe. Maybe it’s because, what’s that called, the mountain pressure? I only performed in Denver once, and coming down the stairs was a little trepidatious! Need to adjust, I hear.  

Right, you’ve performed in Colorado before at Bad Habits in Denver—do you think the crowd here differs from your home crowd in Vegas? If so, how?  

I would say the local crowds there are amazing, because in Las Vegas, it’s all tourism, so you never see the same audience twice. You can tell people come out because they’re dedicated in Colorado—They genuinely like drag and want to support it.  

Would you like to keep coming back to Colorado in the future?  

Oh, absolutely! I’ve wanted to come back for a while now because it’s just very fun and it’s a beautiful place. And also, I wanna see that Casa Bonita restaurant that I hear so much about! I’ve heard both positive and horror stories from the past, so I just want to experience it at this point.   

Can you tell us a little bit about your plans for the main stage at Aurora Pride?  

At the moment they’re a little bit secret because, well, your gal is still figuring out what exactly she wants to do. It’s more a matter of, like, “What dress do I want to wear?”  

What do you think makes Pride so important?  

Honestly, especially nowadays, it’s good to be out there and be visual and be seen, even if it’s just showing up. That’s all that really matters; that’s the best part. The smallest bit is still an act of protest, I say. Just being out in public and showing yourself and not being afraid to be a part of this is exactly what we need right now.   

So, does Pride feel different in 2025 than it has in previous years?  

I totally think it’s more important than ever. For many years, we took it for granted, and people have gotten a little jaded with it. And now that the world’s turning upside down, you kind of realize you can’t take things for granted. Be louder! That’s all I gotta say—Be louder.  

What is your favorite thing about Pride?  

This year, I got to tour a lot and see different Prides, different places, and what cracks me up is that it’s the same everywhere you go. People just come out, and they’re showing their support, and of course, there’s haters on the sidelines, but throughout the years, I’ve seen those numbers shrink and shrink and shrink. And more people are just kind of opening their minds to it—I mean, this year, we’ll see, but yeah, you can’t really rate them. They’re all kind of different, but, like, it’s all the same concept of people coming together and creating community, and we need community now more than ever.   

When people go to see Jaymes Mansfield, what do you hope they feel or take away from the experience?  

If anything, I hope I can make you smile. A smile is free!  

You’re known for your incredible wig-styling skills; what would your top piece of advice be for someone wearing a wig for the first time?  

If you’re wearing one for the first time, invest in hair clips, because it’s going to be in your face within the first five minutes. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone choking down their wig! And if it’s a bachelorette party or something, get something cheap so that if you lose it, you won’t miss it (laughs). If it ends up in the gutter at 12 a.m., you’re not gonna care.  

Just for fun: if you were cursed and unable to wear a wig in any shade of blonde ever again, what would be your next go-to color?  

Oh my gosh, I guess I’d have to go be a redhead because that’s what people do when they get bored of being blonde. Brown and black are too much to dedicate your hair to, and red is the fun color!  

Do you have any parting words for the readers of OFM?  

I’m so excited to see them; I can’t wait to return to Colorado, and they’re in for a treat!  

Aurora Pride will be held at Fletcher Plaza, 9899 E. Colfax Ave., from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.