The May 21 gathering launches the brand’s annual Celebrating YOU campaign to fund safe spaces and support grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations.
Ilegal Mezcal is hosting a special event at the historic Stonewall Inn on May 21, 2026. The evening, which runs from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, features live DJs, cocktails, flash tattoos, karaoke, and a drag show. The gathering serves as the kickoff for the brand's annual Celebrating YOU campaign.
Event Details and Partnership
The event marks the beginning of a summer partnership between Ilegal Mezcal and the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI). This collaboration focuses on supporting grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations through advocacy, funding, and education. Since its inception in 2021, the Celebrating YOU program has partnered with nearly 300 venues across 25 cities, raising over $170,000.
For the 2026 campaign, proceeds will fund SIGBI's Safe Spaces Certification, a program providing hospitality venues with training and resources to foster inclusive environments for staff and guests. Following the May 21 event, the campaign will continue with two fundraisers at Ilegal’s Brooklyn showroom (96 West St): one on June 17 featuring music by Kat Cunning, and another on July 30 featuring Mannequin Pussy.
“Community has always been at the heart of everything Ilegal Mezcal does,” said Kaylan Rexer at Ilegal Mezcal. “Partnering with SIGBI allows us to expand the reach of our annual Celebrating YOU campaign and directly support organizations and accounts creating meaningful change for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
“It is an honor to partner with Ilegal Mezcal for the annual Celebrating YOU campaign,” said Kurt Kelly, Stonewall Inn Owner & Co-founder of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. “Together, we are advancing a shared mission to create safer, more inclusive spaces and drive meaningful progress for LGBTQ+ communities globally.”
History of the Stonewall Inn
Located in New York City’s Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn is recognized as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. In late June 1969, a police raid at the bar prompted multi-day protests led by patrons and community members. These demonstrations, known as the Stonewall Riots, served as a primary catalyst for LGBTQ+ liberation and advocacy organizations across the United States. Today, the venue is a designated National Monument.
The Stonewall Inn in New York City. Photograph courtesy of SIGBI.
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI) is the official and exclusive non-profit organization of the Stonewall Inn. The group works to eliminate social intolerance impacting LGBTQ+ individuals globally through educational programming, public dialogue, and grassroots fundraising campaigns.
History of Ilegal Mezcal
The origins of Ilegal Mezcal trace back to 2004, when founder John Rexer began bringing unbranded Oaxacan mezcal into Guatemala to supply his bar, Café No Sé. To bypass early distribution hurdles, the spirit was initially brought across the border without official documentation, a bootleg origin that ultimately inspired the brand's name. As the spirit's popularity grew among international travelers, Rexer formalized the operation in 2006 under the name "Ilegal" as a nod to its extra-legal origins, partnering with fourth-generation master distillers Armando and Alvaro Hernandez at the Mal de Amor palenque in Santiago Matatlán. Today, the brand is distributed in over 40 countries yet maintains its original 100% artisanal production methods.
The team at Ilegal Mezcal. Photograph courtesy of the brand.
