20+ Gay Fetish & Leather Events Worldwide
Gay fetish events of so many varieties are held every year in cities worldwide. Ranging from educational and exploratory to intense and hedonistic, it’s easy to find just the right fetish event to join in on the fun.
Some prefer festivities with larger social components, while others want to dive right into sexually charged fetish events with themes like rubber, leather, puppy play, BDSM, and more.
In the sections below, I’ll fill you in on all the most popular and well-known gay fetish and leather events around the world along with key highlights, official links, and more.
Let’s get started!
Darklands
Darklands is the biggest indoor gay fetish festival in the world, attracting a whopping 15,000 people to the Belgian city of Antwerp!
This four-day festival straddling the beginning of March unites people who come to celebrate their fetishes and discover new ones.
They have around 18 different fetish groups including Leather, Rubber, Sportswear, Puppies, Bondage, Skins, Superheroes, Bootblacks, and more.
During the day Darklands has an expansive vendor market, a community area where you can discover your fetish, a restaurant, and 3 stages with performances ranging from drag shows to sex shows.
Different parties like Mayhem, Fusion, Rage, and Fury are organized each night. Everyone enjoys a lineup of international DJs and darkrooms like you’ve never seen before!
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International Mr. Leather (IML)
International Mr. Leather is the world-renowned Chicago gay leather event in late May that consists of a conference and competition for the next holder of the famed IML title.
Daytime events include the Leather Market, silent auctions, seminars, discussion groups, recovery brunches, and “Open Shine,” where spectators watch shoe shiners showcase their talents.
Evenings are packed with social events and parties like themed cocktail hours, the annual Pop and Handler Party, Superhero Fetish Party, Gear Blast, and on Sunday, the official International Mr. Leather Contest.
The IML Host Hotel is Congress Plaza Hotel, but if you prefer to stay somewhere else, take a look at my custom curated list of Chicago gay friendly hotels.
Cologne Fetish Pride
Cologne Fetish Pride has been organized by a non-profit called Rheinfetisch e.V. since 2008. This gay fetish event has traditionally been held over Whitsun (Pentecost) weekend from Thursday to Monday in Cologne, Germany.
The official program typically includes a welcome event, parties, dinners, brunches, a guided city walk, a bike tour, and a closing night.
Partner bars, businesses, and organizations offer even more events that cater to the fetish community, from pub crawls to discounted fetish shopping.
The main event of Cologne Fetish Pride is Fetish Boat on Sunday. Enjoy dancing and the Mr. Fetish NRW election ceremony along with panoramic views while cruising down the river.
The sponsor hotels are Mercure Friesenstrasse and Mercure Belfortstrasse, which I’d recommend if you prefer convenient access to the events.
Alternative hotels with even higher ratings include Motel One Waidmarkt, Motel One Neumarkt, and Koncept Hotel International.
LeatherWalk San Francisco
LeatherWalk is the traditional kick-off event of San Francisco’s annual Leather Week each September.
Originally conceived as a bar crawl from the Castro to the South of Market neighborhood, LeatherWalk is currently a fundraiser for the Emergency Financial Assistance Program at PRC.
Beginning at San Francisco City Hall, attendees visit some favorite local landmarks and watering holes along the way to Eagle Plaza for the ceremonial raising of the Leather Pride Flag. This super-social activity is a fantastic opportunity to make new friends!
Stay Here → San Francisco Gay Hotels
Folsom Street Fair
Folsom Street Fair is the largest gay leather and kink event in the world! If there’s any gay leather event you’ve heard of, this is probably it!
Held for over 40 years, Folsom Street Fair is the legendary and notoriously intense concluding event of San Francisco’s gay leather week. Gay travelers from all over visit specifically for Folsom.
Community stages host a variety of events and demonstrations all day Sunday. BDSM exhibitions, live musical performances, DJ lineups, and even a wrestling stage are typically in store!
After the daytime events, the parties continue. Real Bad is one of the most popular circuit parties hosted the night following the street fair.
Related → Finding Gay Bathhouses in San Francisco
Folsom Europe
Folsom Europe marks its 20th year of festivities, which have consistently grown bigger and better. There are now so many interesting meetups, parties, and exhibitions scheduled, it can be hard to choose between them!
Held in Berlin each September, events during Folsom Europe range from mild to wild. There’s a variety of themed fetish socials at popular local gay bars, art exhibitions every afternoon and late-night gay sex parties at the renowned Lab.oratory club.
Other event options include the Folsom Europe bus tour of Berlin, a Pups & Dogs Walk, and an afternoon Prosecco for Pigs social.
Amsterdam Sportswear Weekend
Amsterdam Sportswear Weekend is the leading international weekend of gay fetish events for sportswear lovers of all kinds.
Over four days in May, organizers transform Amsterdam’s gay bars and some of the city’s best LGBTQAI+ landmarks into a playground for Sportswear admirers.
The weekend offers sportswear-themed events like meetups, club nights, workshops, shopping events, games, and a streetwear catwalk runway show hosted by the renowned gay leather brand Mister B.
Sneaky is the new Friday night party, a sexy cruising event that has been long awaited by regulars. Don’t miss LADZ on Saturday, one of the largest & and most erotic European sportswear parties for gay men.
An international convention for sneaker addicts called Sneakerness takes place over the same weekend as Amsterdam Sportswear Weekend.
Easter Berlin Leather Fetish Week
Easter Berlin Leather Fetish Week is the German capital’s springtime gay leather celebration, taking place over Easter weekend in April.
Most of the weekend’s events are just as debaucherous and intense as you’d expect to find in Berlin. Gatherings and cruising at gay bars, specialized fetish parties, and sex parties are scheduled from Wednesday through Sunday.
But, Easter Berlin has a few distinguishing events. Past years have included classical piano nights at a local Evangelical church.
Also, 2023 marked the first-event open-air Fetish Market where everyone can meet to eat, drink, and socialize at any time throughout the weekend.
Wondering where to stay? wolfyy’s guide covers all the best Berlin gay hotels.
Leather Pride Amsterdam
Leather Pride Amsterdam spans the first weekend in November with a wonderfully clear and organized schedule of events. Only one official event is held at a time, so you’ll never have to choose between parties and everyone attends the same events.
INVASION is the signature dance party of the weekend, and it’s actually the only fetish party in Amsterdam that is men-only. The venue features a large darkroom and play area outfitted with all the accessories you’ll need for a memorable gay cruising experience.
Maspalomas Fetish Pride
Maspalomas Fetish Pride is one of Europe’s largest gay fetish events, celebrating all kinds of fetishes from leather to rubber to sportswear.
The week of festivities takes place in early October, and even though it’s in Autumn, Maspalomas and the rest of the Canary Islands are still wonderfully warm.
Taking advantage of the weather, things kick off with a welcome pool party on Friday. Daytime events the rest of the week include barbecues, more pool parties, and specific fetish-themed socials for sportswear, rubber, leather, and puppy play.
After-dark events have a hedonistic edge where you can act out all your deepest fetishes. Look out for the Fist, Piss & Fuck party, the XXXTreme Fetish party, and the HardOn Official Mr. Fetish afterparty.
AxelBeach Maspalomas is the best place to stay during Fetish Pride. It’s a popular adults-only gay resort part of the popular Axel gay resorts chain that is conveniently located within walking distance of the gay nightlife venues in Yumbo Centre.
Folsom Street East
Always held on Father’s Day in New York City, Folsom Street East is an outdoor gay celebration of all things kink, leather, and fetish.
Since 1997 Folsom Street East has been a standout event for the local LGBT community, as well as the kick-off to pride week in New York City. The organization also provides grants to other nonprofits that serve the LGBT community.
Visitors can expect kinky demos, erotic performances, and a fetish-focused vendor market. And of course, this daytime event is always the starting point for a day of debauchery!
Related → NYC Gay Sex Parties & Bathhouses
Southern California Leather Gathering (SCLG)
Southern California Leather Gathering is an annual picnic in June that’s open to all leather, BDSM, fetish, kink, motorcycle, and bear individuals, as well as all genders.
The event provides an opportunity for various communities to interact in a relaxed atmosphere, have fun, and raise awareness about the size and diversity of the gay leather and BDSM groups within Southern California.
Everyone brings their own picnic food and spends time relaxing, chatting, and playing games while getting to know new people within the leather and kink communities.
Folsom Down Under Festival
The Folsom Down Under Festival is a beloved gay fetish event in Melbourne, Australia. It’s hosted by Folsom Down Under, a local not-for-profit community group licensed as a partner of Folsom Street San Francisco.
PERVERSION is the festival’s flagship dance party, which the hosts describe as an event that “celebrates sexually adventurous queer subculture through connection, dress code, exhibitionism, fetish, and dirty, filthy dance music.”
Since Melbourne has such a rich and sex-positive gay fetish culture, Folsom Down Under’s goal was to produce a major party to celebrate what the local community can do (and what they want to protect) while bringing disparate groups together.
One of the events that was part of the 2023 celebration was a kink-friendly Folsom takeover of ADAM, Melbourne’s famous gay nudist pub for guys. It was a huge turnout!
The weekend’s other events include a picnic in the park, the Deviants afternoon social, and the Delinquent techno dance party.
Paris Fetish
Paris Fetish is another largely attended gay fetish week in Europe in the spring. The event schedule consists primarily of fetish and sex parties along with at least one cocktail hour or brunch hosted each day.
Aside from the daily Fetish Shopping each afternoon at the Rob Paris men’s clothing store, Thursday and Friday’s events begin in the early evening and progress toward intense fetish parties that continue until the next morning.
Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days with mainstay parties like the Maniac, Recon Paris, and Skinheads & Bastards among others.
With ending times as late as 7 AM and after-hours parties that roll into the following afternoon, it’s no wonder why daytime events begin so late!
Related → wolfyy’s Paris Gay Travel Guide
Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert
Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert (PSLOD), also referred to as Palm Springs Leather Pride, takes place over a long weekend in October and has been around for over 20 years. And recently, the event lineup has been expanded for even more fun!
Organizers treat this yearly gathering as a homecoming of brotherhood, creating a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing what feels good and what gets each other off, as well as a distraction from worrisome global events.
Hotel ZOSO is the event’s official host hotel. Many of the week’s events are held here, but not all of them. Pool parties are hosted at CCBC Resort, one of the most popular clothing optional Palm Springs gay resorts.
Events aside from pool parties include a meet and greet with the Leather Contest contestants, a leather dinner party, a cigar social at a local gay bar, and the Beer Bust closing party, among others.
Fetish Week London
Fetish Week London packs in more than 50 gay fetish events over 9 days each July. With such an enormous number of options, there’ll surely be something for everyone.
Also, since the events are spread over such a long period of time, travelers can always decide to make a quick journey to London to attend select parties that they’re interested in!
There are eight official main events throughout the week: Fetish Cabaret, Spit Roast Social, the Sports Cruise, Rubber Gear, and Recon Members’ parties, a fetish masterclass, the FWL Cinema Screening, and the main event, FULL FETISH.
Top-Rated Places to Stay → London Gay Hotels
Barcelona Spring Break
Barcelona Spring Break is an annual gay leather and fetish event weekend hosted by Spanish Leather & Fetish Community (SLFC), which was established in 2017.
The first Barcelona Spring Break was created with the idea to create an event not solely for sex parties, but also for social gatherings where the community can learn about fetish culture.
Since then, the weekend has always been a mixture of parties and expositions, concerts, and of course parties. The SLFC family always tries to think outside of the box in curating their events.
SLFC is growing with each year of hosting Barcelona Spring Break, continually welcoming friends considered part of one big family.
Hamburg Leather Party
Hamburg Leather Party is a friendly and welcoming gay leather weekend hosted each August by MSC Hamburg, one of the oldest leather organizations in Europe.
Their first events were back in 1973 and over 50 years later are still incredibly popular. MSC Hamburg has mentioned they’ve spared no expense in planning upcoming events, assuring guests that the parties in store will be breathtaking!
There’s so much to experience throughout Hamburg Leather Party weekend, with typical events like a harbor cruise, a leather dinner, Leather Pride events, official fetish parties, and late-night cruising at local gay bars and saunas.
To find additional information and meet other potential guests, join the MSC Hamburg Facebook group.
Lisbon Meets Fetish (LMF)
Lisbon Meets Fetish is a yearly international gay fetish event in Lisbon that got its start in 2018. It’s held on the last weekend of September and promoted by Gear Club Portugal.
LMF was designed to cultivate good spirits in a warm and compelling environment. Given the celebration is much smaller and more intimate than Europe’s big-name fetish events, Lisbon Meets Fetish still offers a wholesome and exciting experience.
Dance parties, a welcome dinner, drink socials, bingo, and the signature fetish party are all on the schedule! There’s also the option to join a river tour where you can take in the beauty of Lisbon.
Bears Bikers & Mayhem
Bears Bikers & Mayhem is a special weekend of events during the month of May in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that surrounds the male-identifying leather, bear, and kink communities. It’s a mix of a fetish-focused celebration and a bear week!
They host classes on learning kink activities, throw dance parties with national DJs, and even have the largest adult play space on the east coast of the US. It’s the perfect event to wear your best harness.
During the weekend, there are contests for Mr. Mayhem Leather and Mr. Mayhem Leather Bear. Guests are also invited to a vendor market to peruse fetish gear while surrounded by a beautiful pool atrium where the weekend’s pool parties happen.
Florida Fetish Weekend
Florida Fetish Weekend is now in its 18th season, hosting a four-day fetish festival in May that’s jam-packed with seven different parties in sunny Fort Lauderdale.
Amazing entertainment with incredible performers, DJs, and fetish dancers are all part of the experience. Events are hosted in Wilton Manors as well as other areas of Fort Lauderdale, most notably the three enormous hotel pool parties.
The crowd tends to be a mix of genders, with plenty of international attendees as well as guests from around the United States.
There’s a huge focus on engagement at Florida Fetish Weekend, which the organizers facilitate by creating the “Fetish Hotel Takeover.” This is essentially the host hotel where it’ll be easiest to meet new friends throughout the weekend.
Stay Here → Clothing Optional Fort Lauderdale Gay Resorts
Warsaw Fetish Weekend
Warsaw Fetish Weekend is Poland’s very own gay fetish and leather celebration—definitely worthy of a mention for representing those taking place in Eastern Europe!
It consists of two evenings in May at the local gay venue Instytut.Bar, where roughly 200 people gather for a marvelous time socializing, exploring fetishes, and the awarding of the Mr. Leatherman Poland title.
Sleazy Madrid
Sleazy Madrid puts a fresh spin on the traditional type of gay fetish event by curating an alternative male fetish and electronic music experience. So if you love to dance, this might be the perfect event to attend!
Held in late April into Early May, there are six nights of parties from Wednesday through Monday at STRONG The Club in Madrid. Each night has different headlining DJs.
In addition to the original annual event, Sleazy Madrid also hosts parties during early December, over New Year’s Eve, and during the city’s gay pride events.
Leather Reign
Leather Reign is the Seattle area’s gay leather and fetish conference for learning about (and participating in) fulfilling experiences in BDSM, leather sex, and power dynamic relationships.
Held in November, the event’s focus is on building a supportive community with an energy that establishes the foundation for a welcoming and friendly space to meet new people. The vibe is warm and energetic, evidenced by the ever-present clusters of folks chatting throughout the hotel.
A key element of Leather Reign is that everything takes place within one hotel that offers spacious suites, great food, and ample space for socializing. This makes the experience so much more immersive and exciting!
Over the weekend, the hotel transforms into a world where everyone can freely embrace their authentic chosen sexual identities. Everyone, Queer, LGBTQ2A+, Pansexual, BIPOC are welcome.
A range of world-class presenters offer classes about BDSM, advanced edge play, the leather lifestyle, and more. The program offers different perspectives to help us to deepen our knowledge and grow and embrace who we are, and what calls to us.
Kinky Napoli
Hosted by Leather Club Roma, Kinky Napoli was started with the aim of creating an event in Naples to support the growth of the local fetish community.
With the support of the local Depot Club, Leather Club Roma now organizes two Kinky Napoli fetish events every year—one in the spring and one in the fall.
No matter whether your fetish is leather, rubber, sneakers, or something else, it’ll be welcome here!
Don’t forget your sexiest gay harness no matter which event you’re headed to.
Is your favorite gay fetish or leather event not listed here? Send wolfyy a message with your event’s details along with your experience!
Looking for more gay leather or fetish events? You can find more regularly hosted local events, gay leather bars, and cruising clubs in cities around the world with wolfyy’s gay travel guides.
