Part of the Gay New York City Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Saturday, October 3, 2026
The Eagle NYC
554 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001, United StatesThe circuit parties, afterhours and official events happening across Furball NYC in New York City — dates, venues and tickets.
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Robbie S.Furball is New York's undergear bear dance — a big, sweaty, friendly floor of bears, cubs, and their admirers stripped down to their skivvies, and it's one of the marquee nights on the East Coast bear calendar. The flagship NYC edition lands every fall at The Eagle NYC, the Chelsea leather bar, as the headline party of Mr Eagle Weekend.
If you've never been, the format is simple and the crowd is warm: check your clothes at the door, dance in your gear, and settle into a room that's more come-as-you-are than see-and-be-seen. This guide covers Furball NYC 2026 — when it happens, how the Mr Eagle Weekend around it flows, the best bear and leather bars to hit before and after, and where to stay a short walk from the dance floor.
Pro Tip
Furball is an **undergear** party, and the coat check is part of the ritual — bring a small bag, wear something easy to strip to, and don't overthink the outfit. A jockstrap or harness and sneakers is the uniform. Buy tickets in advance; the NYC Furball is one of the brand's biggest nights and the door sells out.
Furball is a touring undergear dance party built for the bear community — a traveling brand that drops big, gear-optional dance nights in bear-heavy cities and at marquee bear weekends across the country. It's produced by JMF Productions, and the concept is refreshingly unpretentious: strip down, check your clothes, and dance in a room where the body-positive, come-as-you-are energy is the whole point.
The New York edition is the flagship. Furball also travels — you'll find Furball editions attached to bear and leather weekends like Chicago's Market Days and the Asbury Park bear weekend — but the NYC party at The Eagle is the one the calendar is built around, timed to Mr Eagle Weekend each October. If you've been to a big-city bear dance and loved the mix of muscle, fur, leather, and zero pretension, Furball is that night, concentrated.
If it's your first Furball, the mechanics are easy. You'll show your ticket at the door, then hit the coat check — this is the one line worth beating, so arrive before the peak rush and tip the coat-check crew a couple of dollars (you'll be back for your bag at 3 a.m. and you want them on your side). From there it's undergear and dancing. The room is consent-forward and friendly: it's a cruisy space, but "no thanks" is always respected, and the crowd skews welcoming to newcomers of every body type. Hydrate — a packed floor gets hot fast — and keep your phone and cash in a small pouch or your boots, since you won't have pockets. Most of all, don't stress the outfit: a jockstrap or harness is plenty and nobody's grading. The whole appeal of Furball is that it's the least judgmental big dance in town.
Furball headlines Mr Eagle Weekend, the annual gathering built around The Eagle NYC's leather-title contest — held the first weekend of October, with its winner going on to represent New York at International Mr. Leather in Chicago each May. The final 2026 schedule and party times firm up closer to the weekend, but the weekend runs on a consistent shape year to year: a Friday Meet & Greet, the contest on Saturday (complete with the Eagle's signature "Jock Question"), and a Sunday Victory Ball to close it out — with Furball the marquee dance of the run. Grab tickets to the marquee events early.
Pro Tip
Mr Eagle Weekend and Furball run on Eagle time — the contest is an early-evening affair, but the Furball dance doesn't peak until well after midnight. Pace the weekend: a nap before Saturday's dance beats fading at 1 a.m. And the Sunday beer bust is the real goodbye — don't book an early-afternoon flight home.
The Eagle NYC is the heart of it all. Part of the storied "Eagle" lineage of leather bars found in cities across the country, New York's Eagle sits in West Chelsea at 554 W 28th Street, in a big two-level industrial space with one of the best rooftop decks in the city's nightlife. Downstairs is the dark, cruisy main bar; upstairs and on the roof is where the crowd spreads out on a warm night.
It's a working leather-and-fetish bar with theme nights all week — code parties, underwear nights, and the Sunday beer bust that's become a New York institution — but Mr Eagle Weekend is its signature event, when the whole bear-and-leather world comes through the door. If you only make it to one bar on the weekend, it's already where you'll be.
Furball is the anchor, but New York's bear and leather scene runs deep — plan a night around The Eagle and you're a subway ride from a dozen more. These are the masc-leaning, bear-friendly rooms worth working into the weekend.
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The Eagle NYC is the leather-bar anchor and Furball's home. Rockbar in the West Village is a longtime bear-and-cub favorite (and hosts Furball's own NYE and Underbear nights). The Boiler Room, Nowhere Bar, and 9th Avenue Saloon are the unpretentious East Village and Hell's Kitchen dives where the bears drink cheap and stay late. Hardware and Gym Sportsbar cover the Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea end, and Ty's in the West Village is the classic small, friendly, masc-leaning neighborhood bar. For a big warehouse dance beyond the weekend, 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn is the go-to.
The Eagle sits in West Chelsea, walkable to Hell's Kitchen and a quick subway hop from downtown — so the smart move is a hotel in Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, or Midtown West that keeps you close to both the dance floor and the bar crawl.
Closest to The Eagle and the Hell's Kitchen bars, with an easy walk or short ride back after the dance.
Prefer the East Village bars or the Brooklyn scene? These put you closer to the downtown and Williamsburg nightlife.
Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, and the West Village have plenty of short-term rentals if you want more space or you're splitting the weekend with a group — just book early, since October is peak season in New York.
New York is the easiest bear weekend in the country to reach — three major airports, a national rail hub, and a subway that runs all night.
The Eagle is at 554 W 28th Street. The closest stops are the C/E at 23rd Street (then walk west and north) and the 7 at Hudson Yards / 34th St. It's a short cab or rideshare from anywhere on the west side.
JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR) all serve the city. From JFK take the AirTrain to the subway; from Newark the AirTrain to NJ Transit into Penn Station puts you a few blocks from The Eagle; LGA is a quick rideshare or the bus-to-subway.
You won't need a car — the subway runs 24/7, and rideshares are everywhere late-night when the dance lets out. The Eagle-to-Hell's-Kitchen circuit is even walkable.
Pro Tip
The subway runs all night, but after a late Furball set the platforms thin out — split a rideshare with the friends you came with, especially if you're staying downtown or in Brooklyn. It's faster than waiting for the C at 4 a.m.
If you're building a full weekend around the party, The Eagle's neighborhood is one of the best in the city for a daytime wander.
Pro Tip
Make Sunday count. The Eagle beer bust doesn't start until the afternoon, so use the morning for a High Line walk and a Chelsea Market lunch, then roll into the beer bust — it's the most relaxed, most social few hours of the whole weekend.
Furball NYC 2026 is the Saturday-night undergear dance of Mr Eagle Weekend, held the first weekend of October — Friday–Sunday, October 2–4, 2026 — at The Eagle NYC. The Mr Eagle NYC leather-title contest is the weekend's centerpiece, and its winner goes on to represent New York at International Mr. Leather in Chicago; across the weekend there's a Meet & Greet, the contest, and a Sunday Victory Ball. Confirm the final date and set times on the official Furball and Eagle NYC channels closer to the weekend.
Undergear. Jockstraps, harnesses, singlets, briefs, and gear are the uniform — there's a coat check, and most of the room strips down to dance. You don't have to go all the way, but Furball is a gear party at heart, so lean in. Comfortable shoes for a long night on a packed floor are the one non-negotiable.
The Eagle NYC is at 554 W 28th Street, in West Chelsea near Hudson Yards. The closest subways are the C/E at 23rd Street and the 7 at Hudson Yards. It's a two-level leather bar with one of the best rooftop decks in the city.
Sort of — Furball is a large, DJ-driven dance party that draws a national crowd, so it sits on the circuit calendar, but it's a bear/undergear party rather than a glossy, shirtless-circuit night. The vibe is warmer and more come-as-you-are than a marquee circuit event — think community dance floor, not velvet rope.
Most people stay in Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, or Midtown West to be near The Eagle and the west-side bars — Moxy NYC Chelsea is the closest, with Arlo Midtown, Staypineapple, and citizenM Times Square all a short walk or ride. If you'd rather be near the East Village or Brooklyn bars, citizenM Bowery, Moxy Lower East Side, and The Hoxton Williamsburg are strong picks.
New York's other big bear weekend is Urban Bear NYC in September — a multi-day gathering with pool parties and dances. Beyond that, The Eagle, Rockbar, and the Boiler Room run bear and leather nights year-round, and Furball itself drops other NYC dates (including its New Year's Eve party at Rockbar). New York has a bear scene every month of the year.
Furball NYC tickets are sold in advance through the official Furball site and its ticketing platform — and the NYC edition sells out, so buy early rather than banking on the door. Mr Eagle Weekend's other events (the opening party, the contest, the beer bust) are ticketed or priced separately at The Eagle.
