Last night we officially kicked off 2026 with our first Monthly Leather, BLUF & Cigar Social, and what a way to start the year.

We introduced a few layout tweaks, moving coat check into back corner and the desk outside the door, which created more space to socialise, and it certainly seemed to work well. The room was buzzing all night as we once again pushed record numbers, with an estimated 100+ people in attendance. Even more pleasing was seeing around 30 new attendees and non-members joining us. It’s fantastic to see new faces coming through the door, and we hope many of them will return and become part of our growing community.

It wasn’t just the layout that changed. We also refreshed how we run our raffles, responding to feedback about wanting fewer interruptions. All member benefit draws were combined into a single draw at 9:45pm, helping keep the flow of the night intact. A reminder that these raffles are members-only benefits, and winners will need to show both their raffle ticket and membership card to receive prizes, this helps us continue building membership and sponsorship throughout 2026. We also introduced new laminated sponsor cards to better highlight our supporters, and congratulations to all of last night’s winners. Sean walked away with a $100 Naughty Boy voucher and 2 tickets to Rogue XL by Brute Club, while Phil had an incredible night, winning $100 Sax Fetish, $100 Studio Kink, 2 tickets to Flash Ya Sash, and a $25 bar tab, quite the haul.

This year we’ve also changed our money draw. Instead of a rolling jackpot, we’ll now be giving away $50 cash and a $50 bar tab every month to one lucky member in attendance. It was especially fitting that the first winner of the year was Dylan (Pride of the Hide 2025), who steps aside this Sunday, a great way to acknowledge his year and thank him for his support of SLM. As mentioned by our President Igor, we wish all contestants the very best this Sunday.

We were also lucky to have DJ Urpsyne playing live, bringing the vibes and helping us kick off the year in real style. It truly was a night that set the tone for what’s ahead.

A few important reminders as we look forward:

• Registrations for the Leather Community Float in the Mardi Gras Parade will be closing shortly, this is your last chance to sign up.

• Flash Ya Sash is on next weekend at Darling Nikki’s, a charity fundraiser by our amazing titleholders, with a community DJ competition running throughout the event, come along and show your support.

• Our next SLM event is UNITY, on Sunday 8 February at Darling Nikki’s, a relaxed Sunday social incorporating the Cigar Society, with subs available for our cigar enthusiasts.

If last night was anything to go by, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year, and we’re just getting started.