Mid-Atlantic Leather prepares to heat up Washington, D.C.
The annual Mid-Atlantic Leather comes to DC in a couple of weeks. We look back at its history and what to expect.
Mark
Chase away those mid-January blues with a warm, leather embrace in Washington, D.C., at the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend (January 16-19, 2026).
This MAL gathering is now in its 41st year. It’s hosted by the Centaur Motorcycle Club, with associated parties organized by Kinetic Events. This year’s theme is Centaur Noir.
Centaur MC presides over the activities at the host hotel: The Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. This includes the main exhibition hall in the Hyatt Ballroom, a rubber reception, puppy mosh, super hero meet up, and the highlights of the weekend: the Leather Cocktails Reception the Saturday evening and the Mr Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest on Sunday, Jan. 18.
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Kinetic events include a kick-off dance party at the newly reopened and extended District Eagle Bar on Thursday, Jan. 15, featuring DJs Mitch Ferrino and Jay Garcia, and performances from content creator Serg Shepard and others.
This is followed on Jan. 16 by a collaboration with WE Party at the huge Berhta venue, including an immersive ‘XL Play Zone’.
The partying continues on Saturday night at Berhta with the KINK Double Trouble party, with guests Nina Flowers and Alex Acosta.
The weekend closes with another collaboration, between Masc Diva and Horse Meat Disco, at the A.I. Warehouse on Jan. 18.
History
The Centaur Motorcycle Club first convened on May 10, 1970, in Richmond, Virginia. However, it soon became apparent that there were more members of the club who hailed from the D.C. Area than were in the originating city, and so the Centaur MC relocated to Washington, D.C..
By the early 1980s, membership of the club had dwindled. However, it was in that decade that the club acquired sponsorship of an event called ‘Leather Cocktails’, which had started a decade previous as a small formal and semi-private annual event at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. It had outgrown its origins.
Under the guidance of CMC, it relocated to Washington DC as the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend in 1985. The ‘Leather Cocktails’ event remains part of the weekend’s schedule.
Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend has been hosted at The Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill since 2011. This year’s gathering marks the 56th year of the Centaur MC, the 50th Leather Cocktails hosted by the Centaurs, and the 41st Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest.
Besides the fun aspect and partying, MAL has a philanthropic side. Last year’s event raised over $185,000 for non-profits. Organizers hope to raise at least the same over the course of this year’s weekend.
“All donations come from funds raised from package/pass sales for the weekend,” a spokesperson told GayCities. “We truly are not able to do this without the support of the community, our exhibitors and everyone that attends MAL Weekend year after year. There is also a group of boot blacks each year that donate to an organization of their choosing from the tips they receive from offering their services.”
Typifying the support at the heart of the weekend, the schedule also includes a DC Health event and daily 12-step recovery meetings for those who require them.
Full weekend packages have now sold out, but three-day weekend passes are still available. Tickets for individual Kinetic events are still available. Check leatherweekend.org and kineticpresents.com for more details.
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