“Broadway Bares,” the long-standing Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraiser, has announced its date and venue for Pride Week 2026. The annual event, which features burlesque and striptease-style production numbers, will return once again to the Hammerstein Ballroom for two performances on June 21 at 9:30 p.m. and midnight.
“The Lion King” national tour dance supervisor Kellen Stancil is set to return as director of the show, which will feature approximately 200 dancers. “I’m beyond thrilled to return to the director’s chair,” Stancil said in a statement, describing the show as “the intersection of legacy, liberation and flat-out jaw-dropping dance. … It’s a bold, beautiful celebration of all bodies, and it’s about to leave you breathless.”
“Broadway Bares” began in 1992, created by Tony Award-winning choreographer and Tony-nominated director Jerry Mitchell. The first edition was led by Mitchell and six fellow dancers, who wanted to raise awareness and funds for those living with HIV/AIDS. Together the seven of them collected $8,000 dancing atop a New York City bar. Thirty-four years later, the event has raised $31.1 million for Broadway Cares. The 2025 edition alone raised $2.44 million.
“‘Broadway Bares’ is fearless fun with a powerful purpose,” Broadway Cares executive director Danny Whitman said in a statement. “Behind every strut, spin and sparkle is something deeply real. It’s meals on tables, medication in hand, health care, stability and hope. That one electric night fuels lifesaving care for people in our community and across the country, reminding us that joy can be a force for lasting change.”
The theme for this year’s Broadway Bares will be announced at a later date.
The event is being executive-produced by Mitchell and longtime “Bares” performer and director Nick Kenkel. Paula DeLuise will serve as associate director and Savannah Joy Cobb as assistant director.
