Candy Licious: Building Bridges, Not Walls — Discover Madrid with a Drag Queen Twist
From Fear to Fascination: The First Time You Meet a Drag Queen
©Candy Licious
The first time I ever encountered a drag queen was many moons ago in San Francisco. I remember feeling excitement—and fear. Not fear of danger, but awe. Drag queens command space through beauty, charisma, style, and undeniable talent. And yes, let’s talk about those heels—gravity-defying, unapologetic, worthy of endless applause.
Years later, during a visit to Madrid for LGBTQ+ tourism conferences focused on visibility and social responsibility, that feeling returned. This time, it had a name: Candy Licious.
Tall, striking, dressed in color and confidence, Candy didn’t just stand out—she radiated intention. We exchanged a few words. Short, necessary, unforgettable. Enough to spark curiosity. Enough to make me want to know more.
“Building Bridges, Not Walls”
That’s Candy Licious’ message. Clear. Direct. Political. We’re proud to share an exclusive conversation with Candy Licious
Candy Licious is an Austrian drag artist, activist, and certified sex educator who has been performing across Vienna for over a decade. Today, she lives between Vienna and Madrid, embodying a new kind of queer mobility—one that carries stories, resistance, and joy across borders.
QM: Your message is “Building bridges, not walls.” When you look at your life today—living between Vienna and Madrid—what bridges are you consciously building through drag, and who are they meant for?
Candy: My Bridges through Drag are for anyone who wants to cross. Drag bridges society’s ideas about gender and queer art, letting people skip labels and use feelings as art. I’ve encouraged scared young queers to try drag; it helps those held back by past or present fear. In drag I can send messages I can’t otherwise — at Drag Queen Story Hours I show kids (and parents) it’s okay to dress how you want. To me, building bridges means creating spaces where people feel seen, encouraged, and braver being themselves.
“For every stone thrown at me, I built the person I am today.”
— Candy Licious
©Candy LiciousGrowing up in the Austrian countryside, Candy had no LGBTQ+ role models. No visibility. No safety. What she did have were insults, homophobia, and silence—experiences many queer people know too well.
Her awakening came during visits to Vienna, handing out condoms at queer events. For the first time, she saw queer people living openly, loudly, honestly.
©Candy Licious
QM: Growing up in a small town in Austria, visibility was almost nonexistent. If you could sit next to your teenage self today, in full Candy Licious drag, what would you tell them—and what would you thank them for surviving?
Candy: I would tell my younger self to start listening to their passion much earlier. It took me until my late twenties — really my thirties — to truly listen to myself and trust what I felt inside. So I’d tell that teenager: Your passion is not a phase, it’s a compass. Follow it sooner.
Notice who drains or misuses your energy, kindness, talent. Pleasing others at your own cost still teaches—everyone learned, including me. Without that past, Candy wouldn’t exist. So in full drag I’d say: you did enough. You did more than enough.
Drag as Activism, Not Entertainment
Candy doesn’t see drag as a competition. She sees it as political art.
Inspired by legends like Marsha P. Johnson, Candy understands drag as a tool to tear down walls and create space for those who come next. Her work exists far beyond nightlife stages.
She has spoken at:
TEDx Vienna
HR Inside Summit
IT Forum
Austrian Institute of Technology
ITB Berlin
Candy: I ask myself that question a lot. But one thing is very clear: my chosen family, my friends, and the people who believe in me when I doubt myself give me strength. Knowing I’m not alone makes a huge difference. I’m also very grateful for the support of my parents; that grounding matters more than people might think.
©Candy Licious
I don’t just push forward blindly — I think, I question, I process. And every time I do, I come back to the same conclusion: giving up is not an option. Because if I stay silent, then the people who want me to disappear win. And that’s not something I’m willing to allow. So I keep showing up. Not because it’s easy, but because my voice matters, and I know it matters to others too.
And still, Candy shows up.
“Posting online isn’t enough. Organizations need hands-on activism.”
This isn’t about calling anyone out. It’s about calling all of us in.
Why Madrid? Why Now?
©Candy Licious
For Candy Licious, there are no longer stones that can stop her evolution.
So imagine this: You’re visiting Madrid—the queer capital of Spain. You know Chueca, its nightlife, its rainbow-filled streets. But what if you could experience its queer history from the inside out?
That’s where Candy’s latest project comes in.
QM: Drag Queen Tour Madrid is such a bold and original concept. Why was it important for you to take drag out of the club and into the streets, and turn a city walk into a queer cultural experience?
©Candy Licious
Candy: For me, drag was never meant to live only inside a club at 2am. Don’t get me wrong — I Love a stage, lights, and a fierce lip sync. But queer life doesn’t only happen at night. Queer history doesn’t only happen behind closed doors. We exist everywhere — in the streets, in cafés, in bookstores, in plazas, in everyday life. So I thought: why should drag be hidden in dark rooms when it can walk proudly in daylight? And I have been doing Day Drag so long with my readings or keynotes. Taking drag into the streets felt political and poetic at the same time. Suddenly, a simple city walk becomes visible, joyful, and a little bit disruptive. People turn their heads, they smile, they ask questions. And just like that, drag becomes conversation, education, and connection.
The tour isn’t just sightseeing. It’s storytelling. Madrid is the most open city I have been too and so I mix Madrid’s history with queer history, personal stories, activism, and a lot of humor. You’re not just learning where Plaza Mayor is — you’re learning why an Austrian queer person moved there, what are typical Spanish traditions and so on. And honestly? Drag is the perfect tour guide.
We’re natural hosts. We talk too much, we’re dramatic, we love attention — it’s basically the ideal skill set. For me, it’s about reclaiming space. Saying: we belong here. In broad daylight. In the center of the city. I also represent local queer businesses So the Drag Queen Tour is my way of turning Madrid into a stage — and the street into a safe, queer, joyful experience for everyone.
Drag Queen Tour Madrid: Discover Madrid with a Twist
Candy: Chueca is iconic, of course — but it’s not the whole story. What’s still missing? A lot of trans stories, and also lesbian and bisexual histories that rarely get the spotlight. And beyond identities, there’s also the everyday queer life that happens outside the “official” queer center. That’s why on my tour I intentionally shift the queer lens away from Chueca and into other barrios — like Lavapiés, where I live, and Malasaña.
These neighborhoods have their own queer energy: small queer-owned businesses, independent bookstores, community spaces… the places where queer culture is lived, not just marketed.
“This isn’t just a tour. It’s a walking celebration of queer culture.”
Guided by Candy herself, the tour reclaims public space through drag, storytelling, and presence. And honestly—how could you not want that? People who are interested in the tours can mail to Bookings@candylicious.pink or contact either via profile here: Candy Licious or DragQueenTourMadrid.
“Heels optional. Attitude required.”
Candy Licious
©Candy Licious
Visibility Is a Revolution
Candy Licious is proof that drag can be:
Education
Activism
Healing
Celebration
Her journey—from a small Austrian town filled with fear to international stages and Madrid’s queer streets—is a reminder that visibility saves lives.
“My goal is that young queers don’t have to break the same walls I did.”
QM: In a time when many people believe online visibility is enough, your work is deeply hands-on and physical. Why is it so important for you to show up in real spaces, real streets, and real communities?
Candy: Online visibility helps — it connects, educates, and reaches people we’d never meet. I use it too. But it’s not the same. Nothing replaces a hug or an eye-to-eye talk with someone who needs it. My work is physical and human: Drag Queen Story Hour and my tours live in presence — walking, laughing, feeling the city, reading the room, reacting in real time. Online workshops felt flat; drag feeds on smiles, gasps, awkward questions and tiny moments you lose through a screen. Showing up in real spaces says: I’m here with you, not just posting from afar. Sometimes people need a person beside them, not a post or a like.
QM: As a drag artist, activist, and sex educator, how do you balance education and entertainment so that people leave your tour not only inspired, but changed?
Candy: Education and entertainment aren’t opposites—they’re partners. Entertain people, they open up; open people listen; listening leads to real learning. On my tours I don’t lecture—I tell stories, share experiences, queer history, and work as an activist and sex educator. Often people only realize later that they learned something. They change not because I convinced them, but because they felt honesty, empathy, connection. If someone leaves seeing queer lives as more human, complex, and closer to their own, the mix worked.
Drag is
not about being perfect — it’s about being free.
Candy Licious
QM: For young queer people (and baby drag queens) who feel like the world is still throwing stones at them: what would you say to them if they are reading this interview and getting to know you?
Candy: You’re perfect as you are. You’re not wrong and you’re not alone. When people throw stones, it’s usually their fear, not your fault. Your existence isn’t the problem — their fear is. I know it’s exhausting. Hiding won’t help; it only shrinks you. Take your time, find your people, build a chosen family. You don’t have to be loud or strong every day. Just stay. Stay alive. That’s enough.
Feel everything. If you’re a baby drag queen: play. Don’t make drag pressure or perfection. Be free — try, fail, look ridiculous, glitter wildly. The stones they threw? Use them to build your bridge.
Follow, Support, Experience
✨ Discover Candy Licious’ world website HERE - Tour information: Bookings@candylicious.pink
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Because queer stories deserve space.
Because visibility is not optional.
Because building bridges is always more powerful than walls.
