The Black Party NYC

The Black Party is New York's long-running leather and fetish dance party, produced by The Saint at Large, the group that kept the name of The Saint going after the East Village superclub, opened in 1980, shut its doors. Each edition carries a "Rites" number, and the party is traditionally held on the weekend closest to the spring equinox. The crowd is mostly men and the dress code is heavy: leather, rubber, gear.

It runs all night, from about 10pm Saturday into Sunday afternoon, over several floors with multiple DJs and live performance. Proceeds go to The Saint Foundation. The venue changes: after losing Roseland Ballroom the party moved to the New York Expo Center in the Bronx, and the 2025 edition was in Hell's Kitchen.

Rites XLII, the 42nd edition, ran from 22 to 23 March 2025 at Stage 48 on West 48th Street, with four floors, six DJs and a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy theme. We couldn't confirm a 2026 edition: the organizer's site still showed the 2025 party when we checked in October 2026, and we found no coverage of a March 2026 event. Treat the party as on hold until The Saint at Large announces a date.