Viral drag performance video shows London-based cabaret for parents and babies

On March 2, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation that bans "adult cabaret" performances from taking place in public or in front of children. The bill defines adult cabaret as any performance that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, and male or female impersonators, and includes drag performances.

The law goes into effect on July 1. Anybody who violates the law could be charged with a misdemeanor and repeat offenders could be charged with a felony. 

The same day Lee signed the bill into law, two videos of performers in drag went viral, racking up millions of views. The burlesque performers in the videos are singing, dancing or performing acrobatics while surrounded by parents with their young children. 

A lot of people on social media asked if these videos were real, with some claiming the videos were doctored. One tweet with more than 10 million views said the video – which has since been deleted – was a deepfake. 

THE QUESTION 

Are the viral videos of a drag show performance for parents and children real? 

THE SOURCES

• Statement from Caba Baba Rave
• Facebook post from co-founder of Caba Baba Rave
• Social media posts from several London-based venues

THE ANSWER 

Yes, the viral videos are real. The videos show a compilation of London-based cabaret performances for parents, with sensory elements geared toward babies.

WHAT WE FOUND

The viral videos were taken during an event in London hosted by Caba Baba Rave, a U.K.-based entertainment company. Cabaret baby raves, as the name stands for, is a cabaret show designed for parents, with sensory elements for babies. 

The videos were lifted from Caba Baba Rave’s Instagram page; the business name and logo can be seen at the top of the viral videos. That Instagram page has now been set to private in the wake of hate speech and targeted anti-LGBTQ+ attacks online. VERIFY found no other previous versions of these videos posted online that would suggest these were fake or manipulated videos. 

Caba Baba Rave has held events like what was seen in the videos across the U.K. for more than a year. Their launch event was in January 2022 and was advertised by the company’s co-founder on Facebook. 

The Facebook post said the events are a “little slice of afternoon delight” for mothers, created by mothers, “who were constantly looking to be entertained whilst holding a baby in one hand and a pint in the other.” 

The founders of Caba Baba Rave posted a statement to Instagram before changing the privacy settings on the company’s profile. They said they were restricting access to their social accounts because of online attacks.

“Just to let our followers know - we have turned our profile to private for a while. We have been subject to a pretty horrific trolling attack.. And it just keeps coming. As mothers with young toddlers and one of us heavily pregnant this has become more stress than we are able to deal with right now. These trolls specifically have a problem with drag artists and non binary performers performing for children.. Which is exceptionally sad, as those who have been to our event will know how much joy, love and happiness our show brings,” the statement from Caba Baba Rave said. 

“As cabaret professionals each of our shows are specifically curated to the audiences advertised,” the statement continued. “Shows for the very young babies - are more aimed at the parents - new mums on maternity leave - providing a much needed ‘night out during the day.’ Shows for the slightly older children (0-5yrs) feature performers who are carefully selected with family friendly performances and costumes in mind.” 

The official Caba Baba Rave Facebook page and website have also been taken down. VERIFY was able to find photos that were previously posted to Facebook advertising other events around the U.K.

The videos that recently went viral were taken at Patchworks, a venue located in London. VERIFY was able to confirm the location using InVid, a video forensics tool. The same floor pattern, beams and windows seen in these photos and this video taken from Patchworks can be seen in the videos of the drag show performances. Daubney also has posted about hosting events at that venue.

VERIFY reached out to the venue for comment but did not hear back at the time of publishing. 

Another London-based venue, The Fox & Firkin, was set to host Caba Baba Rave in April, but postponed. That venue was host to Caba Baba Rave’s Christmas party.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the venue said the rave team was “taking a break due to the backlash suffered on social media.” The venue slammed online attackers and showed their support for the company.