CHELSEA — The Folsom Street East fair will return to Chelsea this summer — but the fetish festivities will move one block south of the fair's longtime West 28th Street home.
The festival will take place on June 22 on West 27th Street between 10th and 11th avenues, moving it away from a rapidly developing section of once-empty West Chelsea, organizers said.
For the first time since it began in 1997, the kinky outdoor festival was canceled last year because of ongoing construction on West 28th Street. In 2012, neighbors in a new residential building complained about the festival, so organizers built a sidewalk corridor allowing them to walk to their homes without going through the scantily clad shenanigans of Folsom East.
According to organizer Dave Hughes, this year's move will take the festival away from ongoing massive construction on West 28th Street.
"[West] 28th Street continues to be full of construction, which has limited the width of the street that can be blocked off for a street fair, which was the primary reason the street fair was not held last year," Hughes said. "[West] 27th Street also has fewer residential properties. And there's no High Line entrance on 27th Street, which is a logistical plus for us."
This year's fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with proceeds benefiting the Anti-Violence Project, Housing Works, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and The Center's HIV/AIDS services.
The fest will also feature a two-hour stage show with kinky performers and a beer garden hosted by leather bar the Eagle NYC.
