A Brief History of IFCON
The International Friendship Conference (IFCON) is an annual social gathering hosted over the years by members of the International Friendship Alliance (IFA) and Long Yang Club (LYC) – two groups dedicated to promoting friendship among gay Asian men and the people who love them.
It started in 1988 as a small, informal gathering of Asians & Friends members from Washington and New York to celebrate the D.C. group’s fourth anniversary. The following year there was a reciprocal visit to NYC. In 1990, it was decided to invite other groups to participate, and ever since, a simple gathering of friends has blossomed into an exciting international social and educational gathering every Labor Day weekend.
IFCON offers fun, support, and camaraderie for Asian men and their friends. It is hosted by a different member chapter each year and has drawn participants from around the globe.
IFW Host Cities (International Friendship Weekend)
Washington, D.C. – 1990
Chicago – 1991
San Francisco – 1992
Pittsburgh – 1993
New York – 1994
Dallas – 1995
London, England – 1996
Los Angeles – 1997
Cleveland – 1998
Washington, D.C. – 1999
Chicago – 2000
Houston – 2001
Bahamas Cruise (Hosted by AF South Florida) – 2002
Pittsburgh – 2003
Philadelphia – 2004
iCON Host Cities (Independent Event until 2005)
London, England – 1999
Seattle, WA, USA – 2000
No iCON Event(due to 9/11) – 2001 ~
Montréal, Canada – 2002
Paris, France – 2003
Bangkok, Thailand – 2004
IFW / iCON Host Cities (Joint Hosted Events)
Toronto, Canada – 2005
San Francisco – 2006
Minneapolis – 2007
Berlin, Germany – 2008
IFCON Host Cities (After Name Changed in 2009)
Atlanta – 2009
Caribbean Cruise (Hosted by AF Chicago) – 2010
Houston – 2011
Denver – 2012
San Diego – 2013
Washington, DC – 2014
New Orleans (Hosted by AF Houston) – 2015
Chicago – 2016
Montréal – 2017
Puerto Vallarta – 2018
Palm Springs – 2019
No IFCON Event(due to COVID) -2020
Orlando – 2021
Toronto, CN – 2022