KINK3D on the Road: CLAW and Easter Berlin
April was a busy month for KINK3D. For the first time, we split up and attended two events simultaneously. While Paul headed to CLAW in Columbus, Ohio, Chris traveled to Easter Berlin in Germany. Separated by thousands of miles, the two events couldn't be more different on the surface, yet both reminded us of the same thing: what makes kink events special isn't just gear, the workshops, or the parties. It's the community.
We wanted to share a little about our experiences and what makes each event unique. Maybe we'll see you at one of them next year.
CLAW in Columbus, Ohio
By: Paul
This was the third CLAW that KINK3D has attended, having taken a break last year. We were excited to return and be a part of the semi-reboot of CLAW, now held in Columbus instead of Cleveland. We were really happy to be back!
CLAW originated as the Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend. It’s run by a non-profit whose goals include education, normalizing safe and healthy kink, and creating events that make everyone in the community feel welcome.
We support these goals and think the workshops that CLAW provides are important for the kink and larger sex-positive worlds. One of our big reasons for attending events like this is to help introduce and educate people about chastity. We know locking up can be a safe, fun way to engage with your body and to share yourself with others, but we also know there’s still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to knowledge about best practices to engage with chastity responsibly.
This year CLAW moved from Cleveland to Columbus and it was truly amazing. The host hotel was welcoming and provided support that really helped the event thrive. Like every event we attend, we offered our sizing services to help bridge the gap between the temptation and fantasy of chastity to the reality of wearing a comfortable device. I’m happy to say I definitely got to help a lot of people lock up.
As always, it was great seeing so many other vendors there, including many that I see at other events, but also new and smaller vendors bringing their creativity and craftsmanship to the community. If you’re ever looking for new gear, clothes, or toys, events like CLAW are something you should consider for that opportunity alone. Just try not to torture your wallet too much, as I’ve learned from experience.
While all the major leather and kink events have similarities, each one also has its own unique vibe and crowd. For CLAW, it’s definitely a younger crowd, which is really nice to see. New people bring new energy, and that’s vital for a community to thrive.
People getting into kink, especially younger people, often don’t know where to start or how to practice things safely. CLAW provides a lot of educational opportunities that can demystify kink and make it seem less intimidating. There are also plenty of chances to practice as well.
Lastly, CLAW is all about the people: from the organizers, to the vendors and educators, to the attendees. You get to meet a lot of people. When starting any new adventure, it’s always so much better when you find community to explore with.
We’re excited to be a part of this next chapter for CLAW and are already looking forward to 2027.
Easter Berlin in Berlin, Germany
By: Chris
It’s funny how quickly a year can pass.
Just a year ago exactly, KD and I traveled to Berlin during Easter Berlin for the very first time. We were there to meet with stores and find a home base for our cages in Berlin. We walked into RoB Berlin, introduced ourselves to the manager, and asked if they’d be interested in carrying our products.
Fast forward to today, and I’m back, this time on my own, setting up for our second sizing event at the store. A lot has changed in that year. What started as an unscheduled introduction has grown into a great relationship with the team at RoB. Arriving now and seeing a sign right outside their door calling out our logo really brings everything full circle.
Berlin has a unique energy. It’s often called the fetish capital of Europe, and during weekends like Folsom or Easter Berlin, you understand why. People walk through the city in full fetish gear, leather, rubber, pup hoods, and no one bats an eye. It feels normal in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve seen it yourself.
Coming back for Easter Berlin this year, I was prepared for another great sizing event. For those who don’t know, all the stores in Berlin shut down for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, so sizing happens on Thursday and Saturday, separated by a day off in the middle. This means you get to do some sightseeing and socializing in between all the hard work of helping kinksters find their perfect cage size.
What was the crowd like? Easter Berlin is very different from Folsom Europe. Folsom Europe brings in a large variety of kinksters from all over the world, whereas Easter Berlin leans much more into the leather scene, more like International Mr. Leather in the US. The city is still buzzing, but it’s a bit more focused, more like an intimate gathering of people who share a love of fetish and kink.
One of the highlights for me wasn’t even during store hours. Sitting down for dinner with the team from RoB Berlin, a mix of nationalities, all incredibly welcoming, swapping stories after a hard day of work. That’s where I really got to understand what Easter Berlin is about.
Talking to RoB’s owner, I learned that Easter Berlin actually predated Folsom Europe, which honestly surprised me. Its roots go back to the 1970s, starting as a small informal gathering for leather enthusiasts. Over time, with support from MSC Berlin, it grew into the annual event it is today.
The vibe reflects that history. Where Folsom has the big street fair and the big parties, Easter Berlin feels more social. People come to Berlin to gear up and connect.
If there’s one place that captures that energy perfectly, it’s PK (Prinzknecht). PK is a men’s-only bar in the Nollendorfplatz area, surrounded by fetish shops and queer spaces. It’s easy to recognize as the place with a large group of kinksters outside drinking. Everyone ends up there eventually.
It’s the kind of place where you walk through and immediately start recognizing faces. Friends you only see a few times a year at events like this, store owners, brand reps, contest winners with their sashes, and content creators you’ve seen online.
I ended up spending a good amount of my free time there, running into people I hadn’t seen in months from the Netherlands, France, Germany, you name it. And in between all that, plenty of new introductions too. I love how welcoming this community is.
That’s the thing about Easter Berlin. It’s not just about the gear, or the events, or even the city. It’s about the community, the conversations you didn’t plan, and the friends you were looking forward to running into, feeling that, for a few days, the entire world condenses down to this city.
Different Events, Same Community
Looking back, it's striking how different these events are. CLAW centers around education, workshops, and introducing people to kink in a welcoming environment. Easter Berlin revolves around tradition, social connections, and gatherings with friends from across Europe and beyond.
Yet both remind us of the same thing. People don't return year after year because of a hotel, a bar, a workshop, or a vendor hall. They return because of the people they meet.
Whether you're looking to learn something new, reconnect with old friends, or simply find others who share your interests, events like these help strengthen our communities. We're grateful to be a small part of that, and we're already looking forward to seeing where we'll be going next.
For a full list of past and upcoming events, visit our Events Page.