Arts & Entertainment
Exploring fetishes, fantasies at Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend
Annual celebration brings thousands back to D.C.

Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend returns to D.C. for its 53rd year, bringing thousands of kink and fetish enthusiasts to the area this weekend.
The week’s festivities are organized by the Centaur Motorcycle Club and based out of the Hyatt Regency in Capitol Hill. Events run from Thursday to Sunday and include everything from cocktail hours and brunches to blockbuster parties featuring world-famous DJs and celebrity hosts.
MAL has been a fixture in the D.C. LGBTQ community for five decades, dating back to the 1970s. Nearly 30 exhibitors will be on site to sell bondage and fetish products to the thousands who attend.
While the full weekend package tickets have sold out, single day, two-day, and three-day passes can still be purchased for $15, $30, and $40 respectively.
Centaur organized some of the weekend’s biggest parties with Kinetic Presents, a D.C.-based event production company founded by three of the city’s powerhouse LGBTQ party creators. One of the founders, Jesus Quispe, who goes by “Q”, said he has been hosting parties on his own since 2017 through his company La Fantasy Productions.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Q said he and other event producers had to take a step back and reevaluate their businesses. He ultimately agreed to join forces with Zach Renovátes of Takeover Presents and Dougie Meyer of Dougie Meyer Presents to form Kinetic.
The trio had planned to host MAL events last year but canceled them due to a surge in COVID cases from the Omicron variant. This is their first year as an official MAL partner.
“We’re definitely more organized this year and I think it’s just going to help bring everyone together. Last year, people were scattered around a bunch of different parties,” Q said. “But this year, you can tell it’s going to be different just by talking to the people. Everyone is so excited.”
Kinetic’s official MAL opening party on Thursday will take place at Soundcheck Nightclub with a “Bootcamp” theme. Diego Barros, one of Only Fans’ top performers, will be hosting with music by DJs Conner Curnick and J Warren.
On Friday, guests can mingle at the Hyatt until 10 p.m. for the “Mr. International Rubber Cocktail Party” before heading over to BLISS Nightclub for the Kinetic-produced “Uncut XL” party. The night will feature DJ Alex Acosta and DJ Onyx.
Saturday’s events include the “Puppy Park VX” and “Onyx Show” at the Hyatt followed by another cocktail party and the “Parade of Colors.” Kinetic is then hosting the weekend’s main event “Kinetic: Kink” at Echostage headlined by DJs GSP and Ben Bakson. Q said they also booked Alyssa Edwards from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to appear at the party.
The last day of MAL will kick off with brunch starting at 10 a.m. at the Hyatt before the Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest begins at 1p.m. Contestants will go before a panel of judges on Saturday and Sunday for interviews, and leather-wear events. The outfit categories include “Bar Wear,” “Jock Strap,” and “Formal Leather.” There will be seven judges on the panel with figures like Duke, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2022 and Gael Leung Chong Wo, International Mr. Leather 2022.
Applications for the contest can still be submitted at the Hyatt on Friday, Jan. 13 from 2-6 p.m.
The festivities will conclude with Kinetic’s “discoVERS XL” dance party at UltraBar which will be hosted by Grammy-nominated DJ Abel and disco diva Alexis Tucci. Kinetic’s statement promises “a night of jubilant disco and house music with performances seamlessly integrated into their sets.”
Tickets for the individual Kinetic events can be purchased on the company’s website.
For those who can’t get tickets to official MAL events, various LGBTQ and queer-friendly venues are hosting their own events throughout the weekend. Leather-centric nights can be found at Flash Nightclub, Trade, DC9 Nightclub, Zebbie’s Garden, and Songbyrd Music House.
DC9’s Saturday event, titled “Mid-Atlantic Leather Dykes” was created in part by DC Dyke Night, an organization designed to establish more queer spaces in the district. DJs Jacq Jill and Clamazon will be headlining the show.
DCDN founder and organizer Maria said they wanted to host their own leather-themed party for those who can’t or don’t choose to go to official MAL events.
MAL weekend “holds such a fun and special place in my weird little heart,” Maria said, adding that party-goers should expect “fun, dancing, and hot people in leather” at DC9.
“I love seeing the community come together over a certain love or bond,” they said. “I think the leather community is a raw experience filled with joy, exploration, learning and it feels safe.”
Jacq Jill, who goes by Lo offstage, described MAL as the city’s leather Christmas and highlighted the importance of dyke-run spaces in the queer community.
“We truly have made it our mission to bring our spaces back,” Lo said in an emailed statement. “There is a long history of dyke leather, imagery, and celebration. Although it’s no secret that leather culture can lean heavy on cis male participation. . .Maria and I are here to help the cause we love so much, and that is to diversify leather and make room for a history that has somewhat been forgotten.”
Q said that attendees he has spoken to seem excited to be celebrating MAL weekend without strict COVID-19 restrictions although organizers will still remain cautious about the virus.
“Everyone in the community has to be responsible for their own health,” he said. “The venues are all more than equipped to do the cleaning and sanitation. For us, the main thing now is providing information to party-goers.”
Ultimately, Q said MAL is about bringing the LGBTQ community together for several days of freedom to explore fetishes and fantasies.
“Everybody has an alter ego, some are more open with theirs than others,” he said. “I feel that we provide the community a way to express themselves and be themselves. It’s almost like Halloween where you get to put on your alter ego for a couple of days and just explore. It’s beautiful.”
Photos
PHOTOS: Independence Day Weekend in Rehoboth
Wicked Green Pool Party, fireworks among festivities

Vacationers and residents alike enjoyed Independence Day Weekend activities in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The Wicked Green Pool Party drew hundreds to the CAMP Rehoboth fundraiser on Saturday. That evening, revelers went to the rooftops to watch the fireworks display.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)













Music & Concerts
Red, White, and Beyoncé: Queen Bey takes Cowboy Carter to D.C. for the Fourth of July
The legendary music icon performed on July 4 and 7 to a nearly sold-out Northwest Stadium.

Just in time for Independence Day, Beyoncé lit up Landover’s Commanders Field (formerly FedEx Field) with fireworks and fiery patriotism, bringing her deeply moving and genre-defying “Cowboy Carter” tour to the Washington, D.C. area.
The tour, which takes the global icon across nine cities in support of her chart-topping and Grammy-winning country album “Cowboy Carter,” landed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, over the Fourth of July weekend. From the moment Beyoncé stepped on stage, it was clear this was more than just a concert — it was a reclamation.
Drawing from classic Americana, sharp political commentary, and a reimagined vision of country music, the show served as a powerful reminder of how Black Americans — especially Black women — have long been overlooked in spaces they helped create. “Cowboy Carter” released in March 2024, is the second act in Beyoncé’s genre-traversing trilogy. With it, she became the first Black woman to win a Grammy for Best Country Album and also took home the coveted Album of the Year.
The record examines the Black American experience through the lens of country music, grappling with the tension between the mythology of the American Dream and the lived realities of those historically excluded from it. That theme comes alive in the show’s opening number, “American Requiem,” where Beyoncé sings:
“Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but
If that ain’t country, tell me, what is?
Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years
They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this
When I sing my song…”
Throughout the performance, Beyoncé incorporated arresting visuals: Black cowboys on horseback, vintage American iconography, and Fox News clips criticizing her genre shift — all woven together with voiceovers from country legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. The result was a multimedia masterclass in storytelling and subversion.
The “Cowboy Carter” tour has been a social media sensation for weeks, with fans scrambling for tickets, curating elaborate “cowboy couture” outfits, and tailgating under the summer sun. At Commanders Field, thousands waited in long lines for exclusive merch and even longer ones to enter the stadium — a pilgrimage that, for many, felt more like attending church than a concert.
One group out in full force for the concert was Black queer men — some rocking “denim on denim on denim on denim,” while others opted for more polished Cowboy Couture looks. The celebration of Black identity within Americana was ever-present, making the concert feel like the world’s biggest gay country-western club.
A standout moment of the night was the appearance of Beyoncé’s 13-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Commanding the stage with poise and power, she matched the intensity and choreography of her mother and the professional dancers — a remarkable feat for someone her age and a clear sign that the Carter legacy continues to shine.
It’s been nearly two decades since Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child parted ways, and since then, she’s more than lived up to her title as the voice of a generation. With “Cowboy Carter,” she’s not just making music — she’s rewriting history and reclaiming the space Black artists have always deserved in the country canon.
a&e features
From Prohibition to Pride: Queering the District podcast reveals local LGBTQ history
The new podcast explores the hidden history and enduring impact of queer spaces in Washington, D.C.

On June 25, as Pride month inched toward its end, three queer creators launched an ambitious project to honor the spaces that built D.C.’s LGBTQ community—and connect them to today’s queer life. The first episode of their podcast, Queering the District, hit streaming platforms that day, aiming to spotlight what host and co-creator Abby Stuckrath calls “third places”: bars, clubs, and gathering spots that have served as hubs for queer life across the city.
Each episode of the 10-part series delves into a different piece of D.C.’s queer past—from landmark clubs to untold personal stories—told through the voices of drag legends, activists, DJs, historians, and patrons who lived it. The show also threads together personal experiences from today’s community, bringing the listener on an auditory journey from Prohibition-era speakeasies to contemporary nights out at places like As You Are or Saints & Sinners.
Abby Stuckrath, alongside her sibling Ellie Stuckrath, and producer Mads Reagan, make up the podcast’s creative team. A recent journalism graduate of American University, Abby told the Blade that her passion for queer storytelling began during college—and that D.C. itself played a defining role in shaping her queer identity.
“I went to American University. I graduated last year and studied journalism. When I was in school, I always wanted to focus on queer stories – especially in D.C., because I’m from Denver, Colorado, I’ve never lived in a place like this before. D.C. has always just kind of been a place I call home when it comes to my queer identity.”
But breaking into the media to tell those stories wasn’t easy. Stuckrath quickly learned that editorial support—and funding—for queer-focused projects is limited. So she decided to do it her own way.
“I kind of found out that if you want to tell stories, you kind of have to do it on your own– especially when it comes to queer stories. There’s not a lot of people begging for us to talk about queer people and to pay you for it. So I was like, ‘Okay, let’s just do it on my own.’”
The idea for the podcast first took root in conversations with Ellie, Abby’s sibling and biggest supporter. Ellie had also moved to D.C. to find more space to explore and express their queer and gender identities. Together, the two began shaping a vision that would combine storytelling, sound design, and grassroots community input.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know what exactly I want to do yet, but I want it to be queer, and I want it to be about D.C., and it’s going to be called Queering the District, and we’re going to find out what that means.’ And Ellie is my biggest supporter, and my best friend. And they were like, ‘Hell yeah. Like, let’s do this.’ And so we decided to just do it together.”
The name stuck—and so did the mission. The team began researching queer D.C. history and found a city overflowing with stories that had rarely been documented, especially in mainstream archives.
“We started looking up the history of queer culture in D.C., and it kind of just clicked from there,” Stuckrath said. “I did not know anything about how rich our history is in the city until one Google search, and then I just kept learning more and more. I was kind of pissed because I studied gender studies in school in D.C. and didn’t learn shit about this.”
Season one focuses on the role of third places—non-work, non-home spaces where queer people could gather, exist fully, and build community.
“Third places have always been the epicenter of queer life… places outside of just your own personal home, because sometimes that isn’t a safe place. And of course, the work most commonly in the past and still today, isn’t a safe place for queer people to be full of themselves. So like, bars were the first place for queer people to really thrive and meet each other.”
To make the show participatory, Queering the District includes a twist: a voicemail line where anyone can call in and share a memory or question. The team calls the phone “Fifi”—a nod to the kind of retro guestbooks often used at weddings, but reimagined for queer nightlife and history.
“We wanted to find a way for people to share their stories with us anonymously… so even though we start in Prohibition, we wanted to connect it to now—like, those people who were singing jazz to each other in a white queer bar are connected to you singing karaoke on a Sunday night at your favorite gay bar. We’re all interconnected by this third place of queer bars in D.C.”
Those connections are emotional as well as historical. While building the series, one realization hit Stuckrath particularly hard: the immense loss of queer spaces in D.C., especially in neighborhoods that have since been heavily redeveloped.
“Every time I go to a Nats game, I think about, well, this just replaced five gay bars that used to be here. It used to be the home of Ziegfeld’s… Tracks, which was almost 2,000 square feet, with a volleyball court in the back, a fire pit, and iconic light show. I just didn’t know that we had that, and it made me sad for the queer elders that are in our city now who walk the streets and don’t see all those places they used to call home.”
That sense of loss—alongside the joy and resilience of queer community—is what the show aims to capture. As the podcast continues, Abby hopes it serves as both a celebration and an educational tool, especially for young LGBTQ people arriving in D.C. without realizing the queer foundations they’re walking on.
“D.C. is a unique city, and specifically young queer people who are hoping to move to the city—to know that you’ve got to know your history to be here. I hope this serves as an easier way for you to consume and learn about queer history, because queer history defines how we move in life.”
And for all the voices still left out, Abby is clear: this podcast is an open door, not a final word.
“This is a perfectly imperfect podcast. We should just be a starting point. We shouldn’t be the ending point.”
New episodes of Queering the District drop every Wednesday on all major platforms.
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