How It All Began
FETISH CON 2026 Official Host Hotel
Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront 333
1st Street S, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701
UPCOMING TRADE SHOW DATES
August 06 – 09, 2026
The Birth of a Fetish Trade Show
Our History
Fetish Con™ traces its roots to a simple but groundbreaking idea: create a space where the fetish community could gather openly, safely, and proudly. Long before most people were talking about fetish culture outside private circles or small online forums, our founders recognized the need for connection, education, visibility, and collaboration. That vision began in 2000 in Tampa, Florida, with a fan-centered gathering in Tampa, FL. The event planted the seed for something much bigger than a meetup – it sparked a movement toward community-focused fetish events.
The New York Years: Bond Con™ (2001–2003)
In 2001, that seed became our first official four-day trade show under the name Bond Con™, held in Queens, New York. Co-founder Genesis Lynn soon joined Vesta, and the two formed a partnership based on friendship, mutual respect, and a shared passion for building a community-driven event. Bond Con™ quickly outgrew its modest beginnings. The show attracted models, producers, photographers, vendors, performers, and fans who wanted more than online anonymity – they wanted to participate, learn, demonstrate, and collaborate in person.
By 2002 and 2003, Bond Con™ had doubled and then tripled in attendance. International press began to take notice. What began as a niche gathering became one of the most talked-about fetish events of its time, featuring workshops, signings, stage shows, networking, and an ever-growing marketplace for creators and industry businesses. Media outlets from Telemundo to Playboy TV’s Sexcetera covered the convention, while publications in the U.S. and Europe sent reporters to chronicle what was happening. Bond Con™ wasn’t just an event; it was a sign that the fetish community could have a public voice.
A New Name and a New Beginning: Fetish Con™ Arrives (2004)
In 2004, the show made a transformative leap. We relocated to Florida, returned to its earliest roots, and adopted a name that embraced the broader spectrum of kink, education, and diversity within the community. We officially became Fetish Con™, marking a new era of growth.
The first Florida-based Fetish Con™ opened in Tampa in 2004 – and immediately proved that the move was right. Our attendance skyrocketed to nearly 2,000 participants, even as we weathered literal storms. When a hurricane disrupted the weekend, the community didn’t disperse – they stayed, celebrated, and turned a hotel powered by generators into a hurricane party for the history books. The message was clear: the fetish community shows up for one another.
Florida Growth and a Permanent Home (2005–2014)
Over the next decade, Tampa became synonymous with Fetish Con™. Each year brought more performers, educators, exhibitors, and attendees. A four-day show became something like a city all its own – complete with crowded vendor halls, immersive workshops, stage performances, after-hours entertainment, and the pool parties that became a beloved tradition.
During this time, Clips4Sale became our Premier Event Sponsor, cementing a partnership that helped enhance creator visibility and industry connection. The sponsorship began in 2006, and although ownership of the company changed in 2020, Clips4Sale remains our main sponsor to this day, supporting the evolving needs of performers, content creators, and businesses.
A Move Across the Bay to St. Petersburg (2015–Present)
In 2015, Fetish Con™ moved from Tampa to St. Petersburg, Florida, where it continues to expand. St. Pete welcomed the event with open arms, offering a walkable downtown, vibrant local culture, and a host hotel capable of meeting the demands of a growing international convention. The move strengthened the sense of community connection and accessibility for attendees. It also gave the event a space to evolve – both physically and culturally – with expanded networking events, themed pool activities, larger vendor areas, and even greater focus on education and consent-based learning.
The 20-Year Celebration and Beyond
After a two-year pandemic pause in 2020 and 2021, Fetish Con™ returned to celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2022. The milestone represented not just longevity, but resilience and evolution. The community that began in modest hotel meeting rooms and hurricane-lit hallways had grown into one of the world’s most respected and recognizable fetish trade shows – built not by spectacle, but by educators, creators, performers, vendors, innovators, businesses, and enthusiastic attendees.
A Community, Not Just a Convention
Today, Fetish Con™ remains committed to its founding purpose: to create a safe, inclusive, educational, and celebratory environment where fetish expression is not hidden, but shared, supported, and enjoyed. Our workshops emphasize ethical practices and consent; our marketplace highlights creators and businesses who are shaping the future of fetish media; our events bring people together not just to play, but to learn, network, collaborate, and grow.
From first-time attendees to industry veterans, photographers to producers, newcomers to legends, Fetish Con™ continues to be a home for the curious, the creative, the passionate, and the community that makes this culture thrive.
Press & Media
As seen in Rolling Stone, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Daily Telegraph (UK), and the Tampa Bay Times, and seen on Sexcetera (Playboy TV), Fetish Con™ has become a globally recognized hub for creators, educators, and fetish communities.
Our Name Change
Fetish Con didn’t start with the name everyone knows today. Back in 2001, we launched our very first trade show under a different banner: BondCon. It was scrappy, exciting, and built with a lot of heart. After parting ways with a former business partner a few years later, we kept the momentum going, briefly rebranding as BondConNYC through 2003.
When the 2003 show ended, everything shifted. We were packing up our lives, moving to Florida, and unsure whether another trade show was even possible. The idea of rebuilding in a brand-new city felt daunting. But once we settled in, a few conversations with local businesses and hotels revealed something unexpected: a fresh start might be easier than we thought. Maybe the show didn’t need to end – maybe it just needed a new home.
And then came a twist we could have never planned. Our friend Stacy Burke reached out, letting us know she had purchased a domain after the 2003 show ended: FetishCon.com. She thought we might want it. A simple offer, made at just the right moment. After much thought and plenty of excitement about what could be – we accepted. That single gesture helped define the future of the show. In 2004, we re-emerged with a new name, a new location, and a renewed vision.
And we’ve proudly been Fetish Con™ ever since. Thank you, Stacy our love and respect for you is always deep and close to our hearts.
The Bond Con® Name Comes Home
By 2019, Fetish Con had grown into the established, thriving event our community knows today. We’d long since evolved past our early beginnings as Bond Con, building a show with its own identity, reputation, and loyal following.
Meanwhile, the Bond Con name found a new chapter elsewhere. In 2007, Peter Acworth, founder of Kink.com, acquired the rights and domain to the original title. In 2014, Kink.com hosted a Bond Con event at the SF Armory, and that same year Peter trademarked the name. We respected the direction they took and continued building Fetish Con as its own independent brand.
Then, just weeks before our 2019 show, Peter reached out with a simple question: Would we like the Bond Con trademark and domain name back?
Our response was an easy yes, not out of a desire to revive the past, but because it was a practical and generous offer. Even more unexpected, Peter didn’t sell the rights back – he gifted them, including the domain and trademark. We appreciate his professionalism and the respect shown to our original work.
With the name returned, we chose not to resurrect Bond Con as a separate event. Fetish Con had grown into its own, and there was no need to go backward. Instead, we looked for a way to acknowledge our origins without recreating them.
That’s how Bond Con’s legacy continues today – through one feature we’re proud to carry forward: the Bondage Battle. It’s a direct nod to our roots, integrated into the show we’ve built for over two decades.
We didn’t bring Bond Con back as another convention.
We simply brought its history forward into the one we already have.
Timeline & History
TAMPA, FLORIDA
March 2000 (Diva Con – Florida)
QUEENS, NEW YORK
October 2001 (Bond Con – Queens, New York @ the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia)
June 2002 (Bond Con NYC – Queens, New York @ the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia)
March 2003 (Bond Con NYC – Queens, New York @ the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia)
TAMPA, FLORIDA
September 2004 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Doubletree Hotel)
FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
August 2005 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Doubletree Hotel)
August 2006 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
August 2007 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
August 2008 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
August 2009 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
August 2010 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
July 2011 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
August 2012 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hyatt Regency Hotel)
August 2013 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hilton Downtown)
August 2014 (Fetish Con™ – Tampa, Florida @ the Hilton Downtown)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
August 2015 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2016 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2017 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2018 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2019 (Fetish Con™ & Bond Con® – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2020 (Fetish Con™ – Event Postponed Due to COVID-19 Health Crisis)
August 2021 (Fetish Con™ – Event Postponed Due to COVID-19 Health Crisis)
20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
August 2022 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2023 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)
August 2025 (Fetish Con™ – St. Petersburg, Florida @ the Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront)