Mac DeVille performs at the QC New Year's Reverie and Pre- and After-Party at the Ecdysiast Arts Museum -- December 31.
Wednesday, December 31, 6 p.m. doors
Ecdysiast Arts Museum, 322 North Brady Street, Davenport IA
On December 31, holiday celebrants can deck the halls with boughs of bawdy at Davenport's burlesque-themed Ecdysiast Arts Museum, with the venue hosting a night of live performances, delicious cocktails, and the ringing in of 2026 in the QC New Year's Reverie, which will feature special pre- and after parties in addition to the main event.
At 6 p.m. Ecdysiast guests can enjoy the QC New Year's Pre-Party meet-and-greet, an intimate experience that boasts a guided museum tour with venue owner and featured entertainer Danielle Colby, also famed for TV's hugely successful American Pickers show. Exciting hours of jazz and burlesque will follow in the 8 p.m. QC New Year's Reverie hosted by Jill Hopkins and Dannie Diesel (a.k.a. Danielle Colby). The event will feature a live music by the jazz artists of Brooklyn Britches & the Whispers, as well as burlesque performances by Diesel, Yulietta, Hot Tawdry, Honey Bee Rose, Miss Nyxon, Siobast, Zahradka Tonic, Dahlia Dutch, and Mac DeVille. And following the main show, with the doors opening at 11 p.m., the QC New Year's Afterparty will rock the museum with dancing and live music by Puerto Rico's Fana and Los Angeles' Soda Gardocki, the VIP-access event also including drinks and a champagne toast as the clock strikes midnight.
The Ecdysiast Arts Museum is a unique cultural institution founded by Colby, and dedicated to the preservation and celebration of burlesque history and performance. This singular downtown venue offers rare exhibits, performances, and educational programs that honor the legacy and ongoing evolution of burlesque.
“This is more than just a museum – it’s a dream realized in the city I call home,” said Colby when the venue opened this past June. “It’s exciting to bring this world-class project to Davenport, where we’ll not only spotlight extraordinary performers and jaw-dropping costumes but also tell their intriguing stories in the larger narrative of women’s history – stories of resilience, creativity, and unapologetic expression. I can’t wait for visitors from around the globe to discover what makes this community, place, and this art form, so magical.”
Colby has spent years traveling across the country and around the world through her work on American Pickers, uncovering hidden treasures and stories along the way. Many of the one-of-a-kind costumes and artifacts were discovered during those travels – some even featured on episodes of the show. Her personal collection reflects a lifelong passion for the history, craftsmanship, and empowerment of burlesque.
'Burlesque performers have so often been misunderstood – cast aside, even shamed -but when you really look at their lives you see something extraordinary," said Colby. "These visionary artists used their bodies and their voices to claim space in a world that tried to silence them. That’s what ‘Stripping History’ means to me – peeling back the judgment to honor their bravery, their brilliance, and their humanity.”
Admission to the Ecdysiast Arts Museum's QC New Year's Pre Party (6 p.m. doors) is $25, tickets to the QC New Year's Reverie (8 p.m.) doors are $35, and entrance to the QC New Year's Afterparty (11 p.m. doors) is $65. Tickets for the full-package event are $99, a savings of $26, and more information and reservations on the December 31 bash are available by visiting EcdysiastArtsMuseum.com/store.
