D.C. Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend 2021 cancelled due to COVID
The annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend scheduled for January 2021, which draws well over 1,000 LGBTQ leather enthusiasts and their supporters to the nation’s capital, has been cancelled due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a letter posted on the event’s website.
Todd White, president of the Centaur Motorcycle Club, which organizes Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, said in the posted letter that the cancellation decision was made at the organization’s Sept. 13 meeting.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this letter,” White wrote. “Following a long discussion and a lot of consideration the membership voted to cancel MAL 2021. This was not an easy decision, but with current trends and local regulations there wasn’t a way to hold the event in a safe and responsible manner,” he said.
White added that D.C.’s Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill, which has served for many years as the host hotel for the event, will automatically cancel room reservations and refund any deposits already made for the event. He said those who made reservations in other hotels will have to contact the hotels directly to cancel their reservations.
He said for those who purchased a “full run package” to attend the various MAL Weekend events that payment will also be automatically refunded to the purchaser’s account.
“We have already started planning MAL 2022 and look forward to welcoming you back to the Mid-Atlantic for an amazing weekend,” White wrote in his letter. “Stay safe and look out for one another. Until once again we can gather together, reminisce with old friends, and create memories with new ones.”
The announcement of the cancellation of the 2121 Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend comes shortly after the DC Eagle, the District’s only LGBTQ leather-Levi bar, which had been in business for 30 years, closed its doors permanently due to COVID restrictions and other financial problems it had been facing.
Published at Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:12:50 +0000