Who Will Be Miss Subways 2019? Transit Pageant Returns To BK

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — An ode to everyone's favorite public transit system is back this week to crown a new queen — or king — of New York City subways.

The Miss Subways pageant, a tongue-in-cheek revival of the historic contest, will return for its third year on Thursday, bringing a new slate of competitors to Brooklyn to creatively profess their love for one of the city's subway lines.

Like last year, the pageant will be held at Littlefield on Sackett Street, but is still hosted by Williamsburg's The City Reliquary Museum, where the first revival show was held in 2017.

"The first Miss Subways Extravaganza was a great success, and packed the museum's backyard with contestants with a huge variety of talents and a revved-up crowd," museum Assistant Director Beth Haines said. "It was clear from the enthusiastic response that we had to move to a larger venue with a stage and a full complement of AV equipment to give contestants the showcase they deserve."

(PHILLIP BUEHLER) Lisa Levy wins the first Miss Subways revival in 2017.

City Reliquary puts on the show along with Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group.

The two organizations, which use the event as a fundraiser, paired up after they realized the success of an event at the "small, scrappy museum celebrating a small, scrappy train" called the Miss G Train pageant back in 2009, Haines said.

Since then, the pageant has made waves among straphangers, elected officials and fans of the original contest alike. The New York City Subways Pageant once ran from 1941 to 1976 and crowned a winner each year who would have their photos featured on subway cars.

"We, of course, are an unofficial event not affiliated with the MTA, but we've received support from other quarters that means a great deal," Haines said, noting that City Council Speaker Corey Johnson participated as a judge last year and a Transit Museum exhibit dedicated to past Miss Subways brought some of their photos to the revival event.

(PHILLIP BUEHLER) A performance from the Miss Subways 2018.

This year's pageantry will likely be no different.

Haines said she can't give too much away, but told Patch that Miss Subway fans can expect some familiar faces, including a performance from reigning winner Parker MacLure and a few returning contestants from 2017, Dylan Mars Greenberg and Robert Coover.

The new group competing to become Miss Subways — which accepts contestants of all ages and gender identities — will also include some brand new original characters named "Miz E with a Z" from the Kong Show and "The Wicked Witch of the Upper East Side."

"...And some musicians who you might have seen during your daily subway commute!" Haines added.

The show kicks off at 8 p.m. at 635 Sackett St., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance for members, $20 in advance for general admission and $25 at the door.