Murder is a Drag with Vancouver Mysteries

Murder is a Drag is a whodunit murder mystery dinner theatre event hosted by Vancouver Mysteries which is a local adventure game company.

Murder is a Drag events take place in Vancouver about once a month. During the Dine Out Vancouver Festival season in 2025, however, there are special Rhinestones Are Forever Murder is a Drag shows on Fridays and Sundays between January 22nd and February 9th. (The shows will also continue after that on select dates throughout the year.)

This article has information about Vancouver Mysteries’ Murder is a Drag dinner theatre shows which take place indoors. The article also has a tiny bit of information about Vancouver Mysteries’ other games, most of which are adventures that take place outside in the streets of downtown Vancouver. Most of what you’ll find in this article, however, is about the indoor dinner shows.

To learn more about the Murder is a Drag dinner theatre event, see the vancouvermysteries.com website or continue reading below. To learn about a similar, but different (and non-drag) event hosted by Vancouver Mysteries during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in 2025, click The Legend of the Gastown Gold. (This other event is more like an escape room and lots of fun too).

Murder is a Drag Dinner Theatre with Vancouver Mysteries

Outdoor adventure games you can play with Vancouver Mysteries in the streets of downtown Vancouver include Crime in Downtown, Secret Mission, Ghost Patrol and Heroes & Villains. With these games you and your friends get to be detectives, secret agents, ghost hunters or superheroes while you solve scavenger hunt and escape room-style puzzles and riddles.

In addition to the above outdoor adventure games where you have to run around outside (or at least walk and think quickly), Vancouver Mysteries also hosts a couple of murder-mystery games indoors. One is The Case of the Hotel Detective which you can play at a downtown hotel or in the comfort of your own home (if you live in or close to the City of Vancouver).

Another murder-mystery game with Vancouver Mysteries is Murder is a Drag which takes place at a restaurant. Murder is a Drag includes a live show, a meal and a mystery to solve. There have been two different Murder is a Drag shows over the past couple of years, and there’s a brand new show happening as of early 2025.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Rhinestones Are Forever Dinner Theatre in 2025

Rhinestones Are Forever is a murder mystery show taking place during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in 2025. It’s the third instalment in the Murder is a Drag Series by Vancouver Mysteries. The event happens on the second floor of the Water St. Café at 300 Water Street in Vancouver’s historic Gastown district.

The restaurant is set up to look a little bit like a wedding reception venue (although with just modest decorations). Everyone who attends is treated like guests at a wedding. There’s a scripted show to follow with various cast members and props around the venue. The scripts for the Murder is a Drag show are written by Tanya Bennett from Vancouver Mysteries and they are real murder mysteries. They involve a number of suspects, family members with lots of personality, and (of course) a murder. Your job is to figure out who committed the crime.

While seated at tables in the restaurant, servers bring food and drinks that you can order when you first arrive. Some of the events are dinner shows with meals and a drink included in the price. With others, they include just the meal and drinks are extra. In other cases, the event is just the show and you can pay for your food and beverages separately.

During the first intermission guests have a chance to collect clues and solve puzzles. Then, in the second intermission, everyone is asked to vote for who they believe to be the murderer. If you guess right, you’ll get a chance to win a prize. The show features drag performances and the mystery keeps everyone engaged.

The special event during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival runs on Fridays and Sundays from January 22nd to February 9th. The Friday shows begin at 7:00 pm and are only for ages 19 and above. Admission costs $125 per person and includes a three-course dinner. The Sunday shows, meanwhile, start at 12:00 pm and cost $95 each. All ages are welcome and a two-course brunch is included.

About the Dine Out Vancouver Festival

During the Dine Out Vancouver Festival hundreds of restaurants across the Lower Mainland offer special three-course menus. It’s a popular time to eat out and discover new favourite dishes. In 2025 full meals range between $20 and $65 per person. During the festival most places offer multiple options for appetizers, entrées and desserts.

To see what some of Metro Vancouver’s best restaurants are offering during the annual restaurant festival, see our article about the Dine Out Vancouver Festival.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Tips and Advice

Tips below are good to know before attending the Rhinestones Are Forever show.

TIP #1: Although it is a scripted show, guests have the opportunity to participate in the action. If you’d like to say a line or use an important prop during the show, be sure to arrive early and make a request. Doors open one hour before each show. Of course, for folks who would rather just enjoy the show and not be involved, there’s no need to worry. You won’t be picked on unless you volunteer.

TIP #2: The experience is similar to attending an actual wedding reception. Guests are encouraged to dress up for the occasion, but there’s no mandatory dress code to follow.

TIP #3: Depending on how many people you attend the show with, you might be sitting at tables with family members, friends or strangers. You have the option to solve the mystery on your own, but it’s even more fun to get to know the people around you and work together as a team.

TIP #4: Water St. Café is in Gastown which is a popular part of town. While in the area, we recommend taking a walk to Canada Place, enjoying a show at the FlyOver multi-dimensional theatre and maybe even going for a walk or bike ride along the Coal Harbour Seawall (if weather permits).

TIP #5: If you like puzzles, escape rooms and scavenger hunt-like games, we highly recommend you check out Vancouver Mysteries’ outdoor adventure games. Crime in Downtown, Secret Mission, Ghost Patrol and Heroes & Villains are all lots of fun.

TIP #6: If you use the promo code BESTPLACES you can save 10% on each of the above four outdoor adventure games. The discount isn’t valid with the indoor murder-mystery events. It will save you 10%, however, if you want to be a detective, secret agent, ghost hunter or superhero while running around downtown Vancouver solving puzzles and riddles.

Other Information

For information about all of Vancouver Mysteries’ games, see the official vancouvermysteries.com website or our article about Vancouver Mysteries Adventure Games.

To learn about our experiences with the games, see the following articles:

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: