How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to Sapphira Cristál

Drag performer Sapphira Cristál has long called Philadelphia home, having spent more than a decade in Kensington. Having won 16 pageant crowns, Cristál attracted national acclaim in 2024 when she had a storied run on RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she was runner-up and won Miss Congeniality.

In May, she released her debut album, and on Saturday, she is performing at the Avenue of the Arts Block Party.

Here is her perfect Philly day.

I’d wake up at 4. I want to enjoy the day. I’ll do some meditation. I’ll make a smoothie. I can eat anything during the day because I have a really good smoothie in the morning.

I’ll go to Planet Fitness, then have a steak and some eggs, a good rib eye, make some toast, maybe make some grits.

I’ll probably start warming up my voice, rehearse some music, listen to music, clean around the house.

We’re doing a perfect day, so there are no emails. I have nothing to do. People are calling me just to tell me there are checks coming.

I’ll call my mom. I’ll call my grandmother. I’ll call my father. I’ll call my brother and sister. I’ll call my baby and give him some love.

I’d call my best friend Eric Jaffe [another notable Philadelphia drag queen] and we’ll shop a little bit.

We’d go for lunch at Mike’s BBQ in South Philly. And then I’d get a honey doughnut from Federal Donuts. I like to have something sweet all the time.

We’ll go write some material either at Jaffe’s house or my house and just chit chat. I’m gonna get lost in my own thoughts sometimes so that takes around two to three hours.

I’d love a custard from Rita’s.

Part of my perfect day would be being able to eat without getting full.

I performed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and they were like you really need to come back so you can actually see the entire museum. I’ve taken a million photos outside of it, but I want to actually go into it.

Maybe I’ll go see Sinners again because it’s really good and seeing it on a TV is fine, but it was a very cinematic film.

I don’t drink alcohol so I mainly gorge on food.

I’d go to Oyster House for happy hour and order 74 oysters. I like a lot of oysters from the West Coast. They’re creamier, they taste more ocean-y, while the ones on the East Coast are brinier. I will never ever again in my life eat another Gulf Coast oyster. They are disgusting. I went down to Austin, Texas, and had an oyster from the Gulf and it tasted like dirt.

I can eat a million oysters and not be full at all.

I will go from eating oysters at happy hour to eating oysters at dinner with no problem.

We’ll probably call some friends and go to Butcher & Singer.

I’d get my steak Oscar-style, with Béarnaise and lump crabmeat on top. They cook it to perfection.

The biscuits still call my name today. They’re buttery and sweet. Kind of like the flaky biscuits from Pillsbury but professionally done.

I would go to Parc and get some crème brûlée. Parc has the best crème brûlée in town — if someone knows of a better one, let me know.

We’ll go to Franky Bradley’s and see a show. I like good mocktails and they make great ones.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.