Annual Kink Expo 2026: Freakshow — Elgin Munchers

Registration is on Zeffy. Early-bird weekend rooms for two at $875 (first 25) are sold out. The public price board as of mid-September 2026:

• Full weekend for two: $950 (room nights, chef dinners Friday and Saturday with open bar during dinner, Saturday midnight snack, Saturday and Sunday breakfast, all-day dungeon, Friday and Saturday classes, Sunday Vendor Faire, plus listed late-night programming)
• Full weekend singles: $600 (same package for one; the site noted limited remaining singles)
• Late registration weekend for two: $1,050 from September 15 through October 2
• Early-bird day passes (sold through September 2): $175 one person / $300 two people
• Regular day passes: $200 one person / $350 two people (Saturday dinner and bar, classes, Midway, and — on the Zeffy day-pass copy — pool and floors 3–7)
• Sunday Vendor Faire: $5, open to the public

Weekend packages on Zeffy also list dueling Sybians, porn by the poolside, a Purge hunt, a stripper show, and other hotel programming. Zeffy posts payment-plan reminders and says full payment is due 60 days before the event. Late-purchase copy on Zeffy lists October 1–2 for the $1,050 weekend; the AKE page lists September 15–October 2. Use the live Zeffy cart.

Day-pass holders do not receive pool access or floors 3 and above, per the official rules page — treat the Zeffy day-pass floor list as something to confirm at purchase.

AKE is a hotel takeover in Oakbrook Terrace / Oak Brook, Illinois. Elgin Munchers and Zeffy publish the city as Oakbrook and say the property details are given with ticket purchase. Weekend tickets include two nights in the event hotel. Do not treat hallway, Bar Louie, or other public hotel space as a play area. Newcomer meet-and-greets are Friday and Saturday, 5–6 p.m., in Bar Louie.

The weekend itself is 21 and older. A valid government-issued photo ID is required at registration, no exceptions. Sunday’s Vendor Faire is open to 18+. A ticket does not guarantee play, scenes, or anyone’s time. New-to-AKE attendees have a dedicated meet-and-greet both evenings.

Expo classes sit under Elgin Munchers’ C.A.K.E. program — Consent And Kink Education — specifically C.A.K.E. Layered Learning (multi-day, higher-volume expo tracks). Year-round C.A.K.E. also includes standard classes, After Dark play-party education, virtual C.A.K.E. Bytes, Mix-Ins crafts, and Elite Slice masterclasses. The 2026 AKE class schedule is posted on the AKE page and fills Friday and Saturday.

Named 2026 Freakshow educators and attractions on that page include:

• Sir Synister Tokin — aqua impact and fisting
• The Mazoku — closed-fist impact, pick-up play, and negotiation
• Mr. Gloves — Flogging 101 and Art of Impact 301
• Miss-Rose — spanking and rope (the page also notes APEX stages)
• Circe (HornyLittleNymph) — anatomy, arousal, and pleasure education
• Autumn of Dark Garden — tightlacing, waist training, and corset safety
• Mama Blue — Terrifying, Titillating Tactical Play
• Barak and Brat Sheba — scene etiquette, negotiation, consent, and needle/knife/fear play; AIS Kink Labs booth
• Michele (Too Hot to Handle Candles) — wax-play safety and technique
• Picasso — knot art from floor work toward self-suspension; Kink on the Scene pins
• Lady Leigh (Soaring Eagle Creations / LoftNC) — urethral sounding
• Mistress Jaina — Anal Sex & Pegging 101 (also associated with Joliet Pets & Handlers and Chicago Suburban Parents)
• Rosie Sparkles — breast and nipple torture playshop; Rosie’s Floggers
• Dr. Brad Sagarin and the Science of BDSM Research Team — The Prosocial Sadist
• Sir Randy (Dragontailz) — Dragon Tail whip technique from the implement’s originator
• Lady Foxxtail — Saturday morning water yoga
• Saffron_Mai and AliceIsMissing (Girls that Tame Fire) — fire play

Classroom rules: the educator runs the room, phones silent, no recording, no nudity in class (a towel is acceptable when a demo needs it).

Official programming called out for 2026 includes an all-day dungeon and a fire patio after dark; dueling Sybians on the Asylum floor; Friday-night Freakshow drag in the dungeon with Cantina52, Jovypix Photography (Jovy and Jimmy, Rockford), and roaming sideshow performers; Saturday dungeon tasters from vendors; a Littles room on the Doll Floor from Littles Adventures and HellesBelles26; Friday hotel trick-or-treat; a scavenger hunt Friday 3 p.m. through Saturday 8 p.m.; Hell’s Confectionery / Bite Me Sweets & Treats (Kayla / Babydoll23); live sketching in the dungeon by Go-Strider420; boudoir and candid work from Ashley Klemm; and a KinkBag by Luxxgear raffle. Themed floors named on the site include Asylum, Doll, Forest, Hell, and Circus.

Approved vendors only. Room, hallway, or other unofficial vending is a removal offense. Sunday’s faire is $5 and open to the public. Makers and shops named for 2026 include AIS Kink Labs, Beatings On A Dime, Chicago Bound, Compassrose Creations, Concord Universal Telepathy, Dark Garden / Autumn, Devious Deities, Dragontailz, Germi Creations, House of the Rabbit, Iron Wolf Forge, Jupiter8 (Sunday only), Lucky Paw Blooms with Lilac Hippo Crafts, Madame Moth, Merlinite Muse / Liliana Rowan, NaughtyWorkshop, Rosie’s Floggers, Soaring Eagle Creations, Sparkelly, Sword & Wand Tarot, Tails of Fantasy, The Dungeon Store, The Kink Shop, The Penis Shop, Too Hot to Handle Candles, Twilight Ember Kinkery, and House of the Rabbit’s luxury leather. Confirm the live booth list on the AKE page.

Read AKE R & R before you travel. Highlights: phones stay away except marked phone areas; camera lenses are taped at registration; no audio, video, or photos in the dungeon, pool, classrooms, or other private spaces; vendor-booth photos only for a purchase and only with that vendor’s okay. A second phone violation is removal. Stay clothed in public hotel areas. Negotiate your own play; do not interrupt a scene — get a dungeon monitor. Clean equipment. Tell DMs before CNC or other edge play. Illegal drugs are prohibited. Edged weapons stay out unless pre-approved for a class or scene and under a 3-inch blade. Smoke and vape only in designated outdoor areas. Service animals only (ESA/pets need advance approval). Excess intoxication can close classes or play spaces. Staff, security, and DMs can refuse or remove without refund.

Other producers sometimes use “Annual Kink Expo” in marketing. This listing is only Elgin Munchers’ AKE / Freakshow in the Chicago suburbs. It is not a Texas or Austin weekend.

The same nonprofit runs munches, C.A.K.E. classes, dances, parties, vendor fairs, and collaborations around Elgin, Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Dundee, and online. Join their mailing list from elginmunchers.org for class registration, pre-sales, and promo codes.