LAS VEGAS—Attendees of the 2026 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo were up early on Thursday, standing in line and ready to hit the floor by 10 a.m., when doors opened on what would be a busy, crowded day at the show.
In the hallways of the ironically named Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, adult studio stars, cam models and social media creators walked through the crowd in their work uniforms—bikinis, bunny ears, cosplay costumes, lingerie and fishnets, tartan schoolgirl skirts, platforms and pasties—attracting lots of appreciative looks on their way to the booths where they would sign that day, sell autographed merchandise, take selfies and pics, and meet-and-greet the fans.
Occasionally, old friends and colleagues who might only see each other annually at the Expo would find each other in the aisles for happy reunions, their excitement adding to the air of festivity. The vibe was energetic, charged with anticipation and curiosity.
By 11 a.m., a line had formed at the Hookup Hotshots booth, home of director Bryan Gozzling’s popular gonzo line and one of the studios featured in website service provider Elevated X’s “mega-booth” area. Gonzo queen Chloe Amour was camera-ready for a line of fans who hugged her close for photos, and who also were there to meet hardcore starlets Rosalyn Sphinx, Emily Jade, Jesse Pony, Munro Blaxxx, Thea Summers, Beca Barbie, Jewelz Blu, Maddie Wren, Iris Leon, Hime Marie and Shrooms Q, all scheduled to appear throughout the day.
Also at the HH booth, the newest Evil Angel director and U.K. native Toby Dick, who is known for his “dominant male” directorial style.
“So, I shoot super hardcore stuff, mainly with European girls, but I work with anybody from anywhere in the world,’ Dick said. “We do crazy, dominant, degrading, messy, naughty, filthy, daddy-dom. That’s what it is—fun, filthy, colorful, bold, exciting.”
Reassuringly, he added that in real life he’s an actually a gentleman and quite tame, but his fanbase loves the “daddy” persona.
“The audience absolutely love it. They just can’t believe, actually, how hard we go with these things, right? Because they think, ‘why would girls do that?’” Dick explained. “The truth is, the girls absolutely love it and you can really see that in the performance.”
The director was there with U.K.-based model Baby Kxtten, who works with Dick frequently. It was also her first time to sign at AVN.
“For me, [being dominated] is perfect because I’m super-naturally submissive and I think that there should never be any kink shaming. I don’t believe in that. I believe if you want to have a really hardcore studio, fucking go for it. As long as it’s all within the rules and the laws, I don’t see any issues. I think it’s great,” Kxtten said.
In fact, sex and sexuality is an international love language of sorts, which was perfectly illustrated by Latina star Azucar Alejandra, who posed with fans near a set-up of ring lights, speaking Spanish to some and excited to strike provocative poses with them, for pics they might later show off to their friends or post on social media.
Alejandra said through her manager/interpreter that she’s one of the most popular adult stars in Mexico, with about 20 percent of her fans based in the U.S. She was very happy to see them at the Expo, especially local Hispanic fans who politely hugged her curvaceous figure, smiling for pics snapped on their phones.
Cis male directors and performers, who typically don’t sign as frequently as their female counterparts, have increasingly become a draw for fans who find them attractive and compelling.
Multi-nominated at the AVN Awards to be held on Saturday night, Ken Feels was one of the only male performers signing at the official AVN booth. Relatively new to the industry, it was Feels’ first time to “feel the love” from fans, who now occasionally recognize him or compliment him on his work.
“This is my actual first time signing, which was a huge honor that AVN asked me to be at their booth, and yeah, it’s been nice. Every year, you know, it’s funny as a guy; we don’t tend to sign or, if you do, it’s just for a little bit. But fans have stopped me when I’m walking around, which is especially cool because I don’t tend to wear my badge. I put it in my pocket. So, like, as far as most people know, I’m, like, an attendee, right?
“But people recognize me, which is great. It’s either, like, ‘Oh, you’re Ken Fields, right?’ Or it’s, like, ‘Hey, I saw you in this one thing,’” Feels said. “You know, it’s always nice to, like, get recognized by fans and get praise for the work that you do.”
Nearby, at the booth for Goon Muse, performer Zac Wild’s new “gooning” style label, the popular performer was hosting an impressive roster of starlets paired in scenes with Zac, including Amari Anne, Sakura Lin, Curly Rican, Amber Summer, Avery Black, Bianca Bangs, Kona Jade, Ember Snow, Brenna McKenna and Katie Kush. The new producer said the reaction from viewers to his voyeuristic style and low-res aesthetic was bringing high praise from fans.
“The best thing about Goon Muse, I think, is that it shows the most human side to the female performer who comes over to my house to work. Is that, yeah, she’s all human, and the vast majority of everything that I shoot is just totally raw and real,” Wild explained. “So, I’ll leave in parts where I’m moving the camera around. It brings a little bit of humanity to it, when you have a girl come over and she gets all dolled up and she gets into her sexy mode, there’s also moments where you see that she’s just completely real and honest and completely in her element having fun.”
Other areas of the Expo, away from the show floor, also have special programming for industry professionals which can also be accessed by interested show attendees. Upstairs, on the mezzanine level of the Virgin Hotels’ theatre, the AVN Business Lounge hosted the ‘Meet Market,’ a happy hour which offered adult online companies and service providers a chance to network.
Longtime freelance adult web developer Tanguy de Courson was there, promoting his newest project, called Spicy Gigs. “It’s a platform for creators, for talent, and studio, and producers to publish a profile, totally for free, and find gigs for work, for shooting in-person, collabs and everything. Yeah, so, you post gigs, you respond to gigs, and once you are in a gig, you can have all your communication right on the platform.
“That’s so current, you know, considering that the creators are moving in,” de Courson opined.
Also at the Meet Market, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) Deputy Executive Director Valentina, who was there to raise awareness about FSCs efforts to confront rapidly changing online age-verification regulations, as well as stigma-based “debanking,” where adult industry members and companies have been dropped by their banking platforms because of the affiliation with adult entertainment. She said FSC is currently in the process of chartering a credit union to serve the industry.
“Banking is a fundamental right in this country because you need banking to be able to fully participate in society, and debanking people, especially individuals, is very scary and very harmful. So, [FSC is] hoping to be able to provide a financial institution that understands us because it’s by us,” Valentina said.
Webcam platform Stripchat dominated the space, near the open bar. Cam stars Ruby Lynne and “Fairy Cam Mother” Nikki Night were both on the scene for Stripchat, ready with information for prospective cammers. On any given day, Night said that Stripchat consistently hosts 10,000 models live online at any time, from locations all over the globe. Lynne, who cams with her husband, said, “For 2020 and 2021, we were a Top Ten Couple in the world.”
Around the corner, in the seminar area, a discussion on AI technology was standing room only. Panelists discussed the repercussions of deepfake content and the legalities involved for adult content platforms that want to add AI tools and components for users.
Back downstairs, as the sun was just starting to set on the second day of the show, fans and industry members were getting ready for dinner, parties, and the night’s two big events—The GayVN Awards and a world movie premiere screening of Peter, a bio-documentary on the life of classic adult star Peter North. The premiere was attended by a long list of AVN Hall of Famers including North, Jewel DeNyle, Christy Canyon, Ginger Lynn, TT Boy, Sean Michaels, with a rare appearance by Jenna Jameson.
OC Modeling talent agent Anthony De Coninck was found in the hallway, on his way to wrangle a gaggle of talent to various evening events.
“It’s very busy. There’s a lot of traffic. A lot of girls showed up. People are having a good time seems like—a good turnout,” De Coninck reported.
“Nobody’s done anything too stupid yet,” he added jokingly. “Not yet. It’s early. It’s Thursday.”
Th AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is being held now through Saturday, January 24, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The expo will be capped with the 2026 AVN Awards presentation on Saturday night, popularly known as “the Oscars of porn.”
Photography by Mari Blue & Chad Salvador
