Upstate Petplay Weekend
Join Hudson Valley Kennel Club for a weekend full of fun and education with some of our favorite kinksters and venues in Poughkeepsie, NY — from mixers to workshops to our Saturday play party. That’s 9 events in 3 days!
Weekend Lineup
(scroll down for full event descriptions)
Friday at Dulce Café:
8–11:30PM: Woof! Bar Night (cosponsored by Pink Stallion)
Saturday at Less Dead Studio:
1–2:30PM: Petplay and Power Dynamics workshop
2:45–3:45: Hanky Decorating & social
4–5:30PM: Bootblacking workshop
8PM–midnight: Feral! Play Party
Sunday at Dulce and Less Dead:
10:30AM–12:30: Dog Bowl Brunch (Dulce)
1–2:30PM: Hypnosis 101 workshop
2:45–3:45: Human Pet Grooming Spaw & social
4–5:30PM: Original Play workshop
Ticket Info
BEFORE YOU BUY TICKETS, YOU MUST FILL OUT OUR VETTING FORM HERE. We will NOT ISSUE REFUNDS to people who buy tickets without getting vetted.
Tickets are available for individual times (Saturday afternoon, Saturday play party, or Sunday afternoon) or as a weekend package.
To keep prices as accessible as possible, all tickets are sliding scale. Please pay as much as you can afford to help us continue providing programming to those who can’t pay as much! Can’t make it to all three afternoon classes? You still need a ticket for that time; just pay a little less than you would if you were attending all three.
We're also offering volunteer options in exchange for admission. If you’re interested in volunteering as an alternative to purchasing tickets, fill out our volunteer form HERE.
COVID POLICY: For events at Less Dead Studio, we are requiring proof of Covid vaccination AND either proof of a negative test within 24 hours of the event, or that the attendee mask for the duration of the event. Masks will be provided to those who do not have. Masking is strongly encouraged but not required at Dulce Café.
Full Event Descriptions
Please note: These events are intended for folks in the queer and kinky community, and all activities we celebrate and teach on are for consenting adults only. No coercion, no minors, no actual animals.
Friday night, 8–11:30PM at Dulce Café: Hudson Valley Kennel Club and Pink Stallion Events team up to bring you Woof! Bar Night, a gear-friendly social for pets, bears, and queers. Arrive in your finest, mingle with fellow gays, lezzies, enbies, and kinksters, enjoy cocktails and mocktails, and fill the dance floor to tunes by DJs Dani and Alex (@djdalex424). Dress code: whatever makes you feel like an ANIMAL (please keep butts, bits, and nips covered). As always, keep it friendly and respectful. 21+ with a $5 cover at the door (bring ID). Free street parking. The entire venue is wheelchair accessible. Masking and covid testing strongly encouraged, but not enforced.
Saturday afternoon at Less Dead Studio:
1–2:30PM: Join us for Power Play, a thought-provoking exploration of power exchange in petplay dynamics. Seasoned fox player Akasha Onyx and Handler North will share their insights and strategies for incorporating power exchange dynamics into your play, whether you identify as a Handler or pet.
2:45–3:45: Hang out with fellow kinky queers, learn about the history of the hanky code from Collared City organizer Fig, and decorate a bandana to take home. Admission includes the cost of one hanky and art supplies for each attendee, but you can also bring your own hankies and lino stamps to use, share, or swap.
4–5:30PM: Are you a doggo who loves leather? A feline that loves to be of service? A mystical creature with a fixation for caring for others’ leathers? Boy do we have something to share with you! You too can be a Bootblack! Join Daijah Flames in a fun and interactive class that combines animal roleplay petplay with bootblacking.
Saturday night, 8PM–midnight: After Saturday’s classes join us at beautiful and fully equipped Less Dead Studio for our petplay-centric play party, Feral, from 8p - 12a! Wear your wildest and put your new skills to work, chat up that cutie you met, socialize with community, or mosh with new friends!
YES: fetishwear, kinky play, voyeurs
NO: naked bits, fluids/mess, CNC
You MUST be vetted to attend. Volunteer DMs get in free and must attend a DM training from 6:30p - 7:30p before the party on Saturday night. Limited spots available. There will be two, two hour DM shifts. DMs will work one shift and be able to play during the other half of the party. Vetting and Volunteer forms at ticket link in bio!
Sunday morning, 10:30AM–12:30PM at Dulce Café: Recharge with Dog Bowl Brunch (other human pets and handlers welcome too)! Enjoy sweet eats, coffee, cocktails, and mocktails and mingle with fellow queers. Gear friendly, no cover (just buy food).
Sunday afternoon at Less Dead Studio:
1–2:30PM: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to control someone's mind? Perhaps you'd rather be the one controlled. Hypnosis is an amazing form of communication that can amplify virtually any scene or create scenes of its own. This class will take you through basic principles, dispel the MANY common myths about hypnosis, and teach you some basic skills and their potential uses (including live demonstration!). By the end of this class, you'll be able to put a subject into trance so you can start your journey to becoming an amazing hypnotist and subject. Even if you have had trouble being hypnotized in the past, we encourage you to come be pleasantly surprised.
2:45–3:45: Enjoy the Snout to Tail Pet Grooming Spaw and social! Does your pet or persona need a cleanup after getting dirty at the play party? Feeling riled up from the night before and want a little more? Nick and Jet are here to provide sensory experiences for good and bad pets alike. Whether it’s a brush and blow-dry, bondage, or bootblacking, we have a variety of packages for you to choose from — or talk with us about custom experiences.
4–5:30PM: Capping off the weekend, join us for Original Play, an embodied experiential workshop. Original Play is exactly what it sounds like: the first kind of play, or play the way animals naturally do it. In this workshop, Trine will bring participants through a series of exercises that help them understand the nature of this play as well as gain trust in one and another to play openly and freely.