Bad Karma was the first Belle of the Black Hart/Toast of the Townhouse in 2018 and in 2019 she was canonized as Saint Bad Karma. The Belle of the Black Hart is an annual contest held ever Summer. Painting by Elizabeth Breck Hickman.

Bad Karma was the first Belle of the Black Hart/Toast of the Townhouse in 2018 and in 2019 she was canonized as Saint Bad Karma. The Belle of the Black Hart is an annual contest held ever Summer. Painting by Elizabeth Breck Hickman.

For decades, Townhouse Bar was the only consistent venue for drag in Saint Paul. Black Hart has continued this tradition, offering regular drag and burlesque shows with the midweek Pumps & Pearls Revue hosted by Lily White and a regular schedule of Friday and Saturday night shows. To see who’s performing when, check out our Calendar.

The Black Hart of Saint Paul hosts an annual drag contest that was once called the Toast of the Townhouse, but has been reborn as the Belle of the Black Hart. The winner becomes immortalized with a “saint’s icon” hung up behind the bar.