Organized by
GMSMA, Folsom Street East™ is
NYC's version of
the
Folsom Street Fair in
San Francisco and is the largest outdoor event of
its kind on the
east coast.
This annual SM/Leather/Fetish block party is held the Sunday after Leather Pride in June, in NYC's Meat Packing district, usually on West 13th Street and Washington Street. Its popularity has grown rapidly since its inception in 1997, and in 2001 reached an attendence of close to 10,000 participants from all over the spectrum -- gay and straight, kinky and not, and every kind of being inbetween, for certain.
Folsom Street East™ has been mentioned in US News & World Report as an event you wouldn't want to miss if you were in NYC.
Most of the proceeds are donated back to the lesbian and gay community through organizations such as the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center, the Anti-Violence Project, and God's Love We Deliver. Each year, different beneficiaries are selected. In 2001, money raised went to The Center's Capital Campaign Fund, and Rivington House, which provides residency for PWA's in need.
The majority of event sponsorship comes expectedly from Queer organizations but also includes, surpisingly, "normal" American societal staples such as Coors Light.
For more information what actually goes on at this event, please check out Folsom Street Fair.