Castro fair welcomes entertainment zone

Neighborhood stakeholders are pleased that the forthcoming 51st Castro Street Fair will be the first to incorporate the new Castro entertainment zone. The event, set for Sunday, October 5, will see fairgoers able to stroll the fair with adult beverages in hand if they so choose.

Founded by the late gay trailblazer and supervisor Harvey Milk, the fair is a quintessential San Francisco event that showcases the LGBTQ neighborhood. Milk founded it the same year he became a columnist for the Bay Area Reporter.

An early B.A.R. report on that 1974 event, penned by Milk, stated, "It was San Francisco's first street fair to be enjoyed by the people and not one geared for the tourist trade and dollars ... while there were the usual street artisans selling their wares, a carnival spirit flowed thru the crowd that was so full of warmth that even one bad incident which took place could not dampen it."

Count members of the Castro Merchants Association among those proud that legacy of commerce is slated to continue at this year’s event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There’s a suggested gate donation of $10-$20.

“I’m thrilled for this year’s Castro Street Fair. October is one of the most beautiful times to be in San Francisco, and the fair always shows off the Castro at its best,” Castro Merchants President Nate Bourg, a gay man, stated to the B.A.R. “With the new entertainment zone, our bars and restaurants will have even more opportunities to serve the community, while visitors can enjoy strolling the fair with a drink in hand.

“I’ve seen how successful these activations are in cities like Paris, Barcelona, and Lisbon, and I’m excited to see that same vibrancy here in our gayborhood,” he added.

The fair will be closing Market Street from Noe to Castro streets, Castro Street from Market to 19th streets, 18th Street from Diamond to Noe streets, and 17th Street from Castro to Noe streets. This is the same footprint as in 2024.

As the B.A.R. previously reported, the Castro Upper Market Entertainment Zone established by the Board of Supervisors and Mayor Daniel Lurie earlier this year allows for alcohol to be consumed outdoors during special events. Thus far, it has only been utilized by the Castro Night Market, which has been a monthly occurrence this summer and fall. 

The entertainment zone is only possible because of state legislation – Senate Bill 76 in 2023 and SB 969 in 2024 – that allow local jurisdictions to designate outdoor areas where people can consume open containers of alcohol during special events, such as when streets are closed to traffic for street fairs or night markets. They were introduced by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a Castro resident. He framed the legislation applying to the Castro fair as a common sense reform.

“Castro Street Fair is exactly the kind of event that should be an entertainment zone,” Wiener stated. “It makes no sense to exclude the Castro bars – which are part of our neighborhood’s backbone – from this celebration. I’m so happy Castro Street Fair will benefit from our entertainment zone law.”

Last year, as the B.A.R. reported, a spokesperson for then-mayor London Breed stated that outdoor alcohol consumption would not be allowed within the fairgrounds. However, that exhortation was widely ignored by enthusiastic attendees. 

Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who represents District 8, including the Castro, on the board, also touted the entertainment zone in his remarks to the B.A.R. 

“This year is the first time the street fair will be able to take advantage of our entertainment zone,” Mandelman stated. “I always love the Castro Street Fair and am looking forward to spending much of the day visiting Castro residents, merchants, and visitors.”

The night markets are a project of the Civic Joy Fund, whose Executive Director Manny Yekutiel, a gay man, is running to replace Mandelman on the board when elections are held next year. Yekutiel, a District 8 resident who owns Manny’s cafe in the Mission district, announced his candidacy in September, as the B.A.R. reported. Yekutiel co-founded the Civic Joy Fund with Lurie, before Lurie was elected mayor last November.

“I’m definitely excited to continue the listening tour that I’ve been on this whole first week of my campaign to the Castro Street Fair,” Yekutiel stated September 25. “I will be there to hear directly from my neighbors about what they care about, what makes their life hard, and what they expect to see from their next supervisor.”

‘Radical Happiness’
The fair’s theme this year is “Radical Happiness,” according to Redge Roberts, a gay man who is the president of the fair’s board of directors. Roberts stated that the theme “reflects the power of joy in uncertain times.”

This is Roberts’ first year as president of the board, though he has been on it for five years.

“Across the country, LGBTQ+ communities are facing renewed attacks. Our answer? To be visible and to remind the world that joy is resilience, and celebration is resistance,” Roberts stated. “This year’s fair will feature three stages of entertainment, performances from local favorites, and the unique diversity and vibrancy that defines the Castro. It’s a place where old friends reconnect, new friends are made, and community thrives.”

The fair is sponsored by the Castro Community Benefit District, Local Take, Recology, and SF Mercantile. It has returned over $1.6 million to community partners since 1998. 

This year, it will be benefiting Buen Dia Family School; Castro Community On Patrol; the Everett Middle School PTSA; Haight Ashbury Community Nursery School; the Imperial Council of San Francisco; Instituto Familiar de la Raza (IFR – Sí a la Vida); Maitri Compassionate Care; the Most Holy Redeemer AIDS Support Group; McKinley Elementary School; the San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates; and the San Francisco Pride Band.

For more information, visit castrostreetfair.org .