Your Guide to the Grabbys 2026

The Grabbys are back. Twice.

This year, the gay adult industry's biggest awards are running two separate events on two continents, barely a month apart. If you've been thinking about going but never have, this is a good year to start. Here's what you should know before you book.

What Are the Grabbys?

The Grabbys are the longest-running awards in the gay adult entertainment industry. They've been around since 1991, originally started by Gay Chicago Magazine and now run by GRAB Magazine. They celebrate performers, creators, studios, and the people behind the scenes who make the industry what it is.

Unlike some other industry awards that are invitation-only, the Grabbys are open to the public. You can buy a ticket and go. That's part of what makes them different. Fans, creators, studio heads, and platform reps all end up in the same room.

Public voting is already open at grabbys.awardsplatform.com, so even if you can't attend, you can still support your favorites.

Two Events, Two Continents

Grabbys Europe runs April 23 to 26 in Torremolinos, Spain, based at Hotel Ritual. This edition also includes CreatorVision, a separate awards show focused on filmmaking in adult content. The Europe weekend is a multi-day affair with pool parties, seminars, fashion shows, and the awards ceremonies spread across several days.

Grabbys America runs over Memorial Day weekend, May 21 to 25, in Chicago. The award show itself is Saturday, May 23 at Metro Nightclub (doors at 6 PM, show at 7 PM). The rest of the weekend is filled with parties and events across the city's Boystown neighborhood.

Both are worth the trip for different reasons. Europe is smaller, more intimate, and built around a single hotel where everyone stays and hangs out together. Chicago is bigger, louder, and shares the weekend with International Mr. Leather (IML) and Bear Pride, which together bring close to 20,000 people into the city. The energy is completely different at each one.

What to Actually Expect

If you've never been to an industry event like this, here's the honest version.

The award show itself is one evening. The rest of the weekend is pool parties, bar events, afterparties, socials, and a lot of hanging around hotel lobbies and restaurants. That's where most of the good stuff happens. The ceremony is great, but the real reason people fly in is the access to other people in the industry, all in one place, for multiple days.

It's not as exclusive as it looks on Instagram. Yes, there are invite-only rooftop socials and VIP sections. But most of the weekend is open. The pool parties, the bars, the afterparties after the afterparties. You don't need to be a nominee to have a good time or meet the right people.

You will see familiar faces from your timeline. Creators you've been following, people you've been meaning to DM, studios whose work you admire. They're all walking around the same hotel. That's the magic of it. Months of "we should collab sometime" can turn into an actual plan over a drink by the pool.

Make it easy for people to connect with you. When you're meeting 30 people in a weekend, nobody is going to remember your handle. A physical business card or a quick QR code to your profile helps, but even better: make sure your JustCollabs profile is up to date. Think of it as LinkedIn for adult content creators. People can find you, see what you're about, and send you a collab request without having to dig through your socials. If someone you meet at the pool wants to work with you, they should be able to look you up and connect in seconds.

Pace yourself. The events run from morning pool parties to 4 AM afterparties for several days straight. You will not make it to everything. Pick the events that matter most to you and give yourself permission to skip the rest. The people who burn out by Saturday night miss the best parts of Sunday.

Making It Count as a Creator

Here's the thing about awards weekends: the ceremony is fun, but the real value is everything around it.

You're spending money on flights, hotels, and tickets. Make it worth it.

Before you go: Tell people you're coming. Post about it. Update your location on JustCollabs so creators in the area can find you and reach out. The best collaborations get set up before the weekend starts, when everyone's schedule is still open. If you wait until you're there, half the people you want to meet will already be booked.

While you're there: Talk to people. That sounds obvious, but a lot of first-timers show up, stay glued to their friend group, and leave without meeting anyone new. Go to the socials. Sit at the hotel bar after the events wind down. Introduce yourself to people. Most creators at these events are friendly and open to meeting new faces. That's literally why they're there.

If the Europe edition has seminars (and it does), go to them. Topics like building your own paysite, branding yourself, and turning your creator career into a real business are covered. Free knowledge from people who've done it is hard to beat.

After you leave: Follow up within 48 hours. The people you met will forget you if you don't. A simple DM saying "good to meet you this weekend, let's set something up" is enough. The connections you make at these events can turn into collaborations, partnerships, and friendships that last years. But only if you follow up.

Quick Reference

Both events are open to the public. Both are worth the trip. And if this is your first time, don't overthink it. Book the flight, get a room, and show up ready to meet people.

Going to the Grabbys this year? Set up your profile on JustCollabs and let creators know you'll be there. It's free, and it might be the reason your next collaboration happens.