GAG! Raleigh was formed post-pandemic in 2022 in Raleigh, NC, and is produced by Trey Roberts. Alongside Roberts, GAG! was founded by Daniel Thomas Abbott and Breneicia Reuben, who have left the project to explore new projects and life paths. Inspired by NYC nightlife legend Susanne Bartsch, Roberts set out to create an event series that elevated Raleigh’s LGBTQIA+ community and encouraged self-expression at its highest level.
“I found a certain freedom on the dance floor after moving from my small rural town to Raleigh, NC. I wanted to make GAG! a space where that experience is heightened outside of the typical gay club and transforms as it grows,” says Roberts.
GAG! quickly grew from intimate gatherings into full-scale warehouse parties, eventually leading to partnerships with Live Nation and welcoming crowds of over 2,000 attendees. The party series later expanded internationally, premiering in Panama City, Panama—reflecting Roberts’ Panamanian and Haliwa-Saponi Native American heritage—in collaboration with Ferxo Diaz’s Perreito Queer and the Panama Crossroads music festival.
GAG! has featured prominent NYC nightlife and performance talent including Maya Margarita, Bearcat, Vice, Armana Khan, Julie J, Elle LC, Dev Doee, Arra, and Boyyyish. The series has also collaborated with RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni such as Jaida Essence Hall, Sasha Colby, Dawn, Nymphia Wind, Kandy Muse, and Lala Ri.
The running “gag” at every event is “Why is everyone from NYC in North Carolina right now?”
On January 9, 2026, GAG! launches a new party series focused solely on DJs—TRAMP—to celebrate Trey Roberts’ birthday. The inaugural event features Pisces Prince (Gaven Simon) alongside Raleigh-based DJ GHO3 SPINZ, hosted at Bitter Social, a new bar in downtown Raleigh. Get your tickets here.
Bitter Social is a small, intimate space that promotes closeness and connection, creating room for both music and conversation. TRAMP strips away full-scale production and returns nightlife to its core: dancing, sound, and human connection.
In Spring 2026, GAG! and Trey Roberts brings a long-held dream to life through a partnership with the very legend who inspired the series—Susanne Bartsch.
