Labor Day weekend 2026
sass NYC 2026 Wrapped
For those who are new to SASS, we wanted to provide a little bit of background into the community's history. SASS started in 2020 as an Asian Sapphic meme group and it quickly evolved into something much more meaningful. By 2021, after the COVID vaccine came out and people could touch grass again, admins noticed that west coast SASS had no issues with connecting in-person but due to the nature of the east coast being spread out, east coast SASS was not as connected. So we hatched a plan to throw a big gathering to unite the east coast. In 2023, Good Morning America ran a story about our 2022 meetup, and we turned the Labor Day weekend into an annual tradition.
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Every year, a gathering in a city
6
years of
SASS gatherings
- 2021New York CityRented a rooftop bar and told the gays to entertain themselves. 120 showed up.
- 2022Washington DCCame back for round two with a two-story venue, free arcade games, drinks, and food.
- 2023RaleighSwitched the format to a multi-day, retreat-style weekend.
- 2024ChicagoFirst year we pitched with PowerPoints and let the community vote on the city.
- 2025TorontoAnother round of PowerPoints, and the vote took us out of the country.
- 2026New York CityBack where it started, but stronger.
It gets a little bigger every year. We pick a city, show up, leave the local community stronger than we found it, and come home with friendships for a lifetime.
How we got here
11 months
from the pitch
until the meetup
The annual event takes a lot of planning. It always starts with deciding where it should be held. Even though NYC has hosted before, Amy, Stephie, Sherry, and Cynthia put a pitch together in October 2025 to show that they could do it again and even better. The community resonated with the pitch so in January, Lisa, Anita, and Cynthia got to work making it a reality. Months later, you all showed up knowing that we planned something amazing 🙏
- Oct 2025NYC shot their shot
- Jan 2026Our planners got to work
- Mar 2026RSVPs opened for NYC Annual SASS Meet Up
- Sept 4–7The big weekend!
Look who came
177
sapphic asians
Two official events, two big unofficial ones, one long weekend, and 369 RSVPs between them. Saturday Casual Games had 114, the After Party 66, Sunday Gay-thering 142, and the Picnic 47. Most of you came to more than one.
- 24 all four events
- 35 three events
- 49 two events
- 69 one event
Who came back
49 of you
were with us
in Toronto
Last year, the annual event was in Toronto, Canada. 49 of you went to both the Toronto and New York meetup. We’re so happy to have you back!
- 49were with us in Toronto
- 128here for the first time
128 of you had never done this before. We are so glad you joined us.
How far you came
64%
came from
out of town
About a third of you were local. The rest of you booked a flight, caught a train, or drove in from 38 cities across 13 states, DC, and Ontario. 12 from Atlanta, 13 from LA, 11 from Boston, and 2 who crossed a border. Thank you for coming all that way.
tap a city for a surprise đź«°
Saturday, September 5
114
Saturday
Casual Games
Sunday, September 6
142
Sunday
Gay-thering
What you made happen
10+
gatherings you
put together
We ran two official events, you built a whole weekend around them.
SASS Experiences
$510raised from
SASS Experiences
We tried something new this year. Nine SASS members volunteered their time and skills to host a unique experience for the community to help fundraise for the Labor Day event. From fineline tattoos to makgeolli making to an afternoon at the range, thank you to everyone who participated and made it a huge success!
Every dollar went back into the weekend, so everyone who came got more than we could have given otherwise.
Thank you to our hosts, Amy W-Yang, Anita Chew, Cynthia Wong, Hannah Langr, Jesaca Lin, Jessica Lee, Louisa Lau, Michelle Ann, and Quyen Hoang, and to everyone who entered the raffle.
04
03
02
01
030201The whole weekend, in numbers
- sapphic asians
- 177who made it to our annual gathering
- RSVPs
- 369said yes across four events
- Came to all four
- 24the real MVPs
- Cities
- 38across 13 states, DC, and Ontario
- Traveled to us
- 64%from outside NY
- Friends made
- ∞we stopped counting
- Member gatherings
- 10+all of it your doing
- Raised together
- $510from SASS Experiences, back into the weekend
Saturday Casual Games · Sunday Gay-thering, plus everything you built around them.
Roll credits
Thank you,
sincerely
None of this happens without you.
Our planners
- Anita Chew
- Cynthia Wong
- Lisa Yoon
SASS Experience hosts
- Amy W-YangAn Abstract Portrait of You
- Anita ChewWushu Basics
- Cynthia WongSit, Paint, Stay Awhile
- Hannah LangrAnalog Hours: Crate Digging
- Jesaca LinLittle Jar of Makgeolli
- Jessica LeeFineline Tattoo with @yusun_tattoo
- Louisa LauStreet Photography: NYC Edition
- Michelle AnnRange Day
- Quyen HoangA Little Leather Moment
Our comedian
- Smitha Nagar
Trivia hosts
- Jen Kim
- Josephine Djuhana
Bingo raffle prize donors
- Chieko Izakaya
- Cute Little Fuckers
- Leighann & KatrinaLigaw Bar
- Trang Le
Volunteers
- Abbie Garcia
- Alyssa Adel
- Amy Seonnie
- Chieko Izakaya
- Elaine Nguyen
- Jennifer Nguyen
- Kelsey Ma
- Kristen Koyanagi
- Lea Encina
- Louisa Lau
- Michelle Ann
- Quân Trần
- Rina Hayat
- Sherry Yung
- Stephie Shen
- T Huang
- Trang Le
- Yuki Yeung
Thank you to all that have organized casual gatherings
- Karaoke · Broadway · Congee Village · Chiang Mai Diner · After Party · Arcade · The Picnic
Venue and vendors
- Baja SolutionsSASS signage
- It’s Electricphoto booth
- Pixie Scoutcatering and bartending
- The CenterThe LGBTQ+ Center, West Village
And every single one of you
- All 177 of you ♡
That’s a wrap
See you in 2027.
We loved having you for New York City, Labor Day weekend 2026. We would love to hear your thoughts on 2026 and get your vote for where SASS should go in 2027.
Vote & Provide Feedback
Help plan 2027
A city can win the vote and still need people on the ground. Wherever we land, we need dependable local planners to make it happen.