Revamped Halloween to greet Castro

It’s not the old Halloween in the Castro, but residents and visitors of San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood are nonetheless donning costumes and getting ready for a treat with this year’s final Castro Night Market Friday, October 31.

The night market, sponsored by the Civic Joy Fund and produced by CG Events, had been monthly on the third Fridays of the month. For October, it is being moved to the fifth Friday to coincide with Halloween, a decision ratified by a unanimous vote of the city’s Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (or ISCOTT), which oversees street closures, at its October 9 meeting. 

Chris Carrington, a gay man who is CG’s co-founder, said the street closure will run along 18th Street from Noe Street to Diamond Street, one block longer than the Pride Month edition of the night market, which also featured an expanded footprint. 

Neighborhood leaders and local officials are painstakingly stressing that the event will be different from the old Halloween festivities that eventually were suppressed by the city. Halloween – long a high queer holiday – has had a torrid history in the Castro, with the technically unsanctioned street party held each October 31 eventually shut down over a decade ago following violent incidents. In recent years, community leaders have attempted a Halloween comeback but at a fraction of the size and shorter duration than the original unofficial gatherings.  

That started in 2023, when the Civic Joy Fund spent over $100,000 on 43 storefront activations throughout the Castro. The nonprofit funds night markets and other outdoor cultural events citywide and was co-founded by now-San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, a straight ally, and Manny Yekutiel, a gay man now running for District 8 supervisor. 

The following year, Civic Joy Fund launched the Castro Night Market. This year, Civic Joy Fund decided to supplant the storefront activations with a special edition of the night market, as the B.A.R. previously reported.  

Yekutiel was the executive director of the Civic Joy Fund until last month, when he announced his candidacy for supervisor. District 8 includes the Castro, where Yekutiel lives. He is the owner of the eponymous Mission district civic event space and cafe.

“Once I became a candidate for supervisor I stepped down from my position as the executive director of the Civic Joy Fund, but I’m immensely proud of the work that the fund has done and is doing including Halloween in the Castro, the Castro lights, and the Castro Night Market,” Yekutiel stated to the B.A.R. “The night market has brought in over 100,000 customers right into the heart of the Castro to spend money and bring joy to our streets. It’s exactly what the neighborhood needs, and I can’t wait to see what combining Halloween and the night markets feel like!”

Yekutiel was replaced as executive director by Luke Spray, a straight ally who told the B.A.R. in a phone interview he had been working at the organization for a couple of months before he was asked to step into the executive director position.

“It’s big heels to fill,” he quipped. “It’s a joy to go from one slice of the Civic Joy pie to the whole thing. … The city has come to cherish our events and activations in our streets. We have so many community partners who are anchors in our neighborhoods. We make sure these events celebrate the local community.”

Spray said Civic Joy Fund is “very excited about Halloween” in the city’s LGBTQ neighborhood.

“Halloween in the Castro has been a key part of the neighborhood for so many years, and it’s a joy to bring it back in a way that is very fitting for 2025,” he said, adding he hopes the event brings people to shop at the Castro’s small businesses.  

Also certainly hoping for dollars from revelers, Nate Bourg, a gay man who is president of the Castro Merchants Association.

“I’m thrilled to see the Castro Night Market return for its 2025 finale this Halloween,” Bourg stated. “Thanks to CG Events’ hard work and collaboration with multiple city departments, we can look forward to a safe, well-organized, and truly special night in the heart of the Castro. I’m also deeply grateful to the Civic Joy Fund for helping make this celebration possible, and to SFPD for their partnership in ensuring everyone can celebrate with confidence.”

Event details
CG Events will be producing the night market, which is slated to run from 5 to 10 p.m. Carrington told the B.A.R. in a phone interview that there will be three stages – one at Noe Street, another across from Mollie Stone’s at Collingwood Street, and another in the parking lot behind Walgreens and Toad Hall.

Queer arts collective Comfort and Joy will be activating its annual Glow in the Streets Halloween edition – which heretofore was on Noe Street the Saturday before October 31 – at the parking lot stage from 5 to 6:30 p.m. where, later at 8:45, there will be a costume contest with prizes. There were between 35 and 40 exhibitors who’d signed up for the event as of the B.A.R.’s call with Carrington last week.

Bands and “some other kind of non-musical acts, like a magician,” will be performing on the stage closest to Noe Street, and the Collingwood Street stage will feature “mostly DJs,” Carrington said.

“We’re thrilled about this happening,” Carrington said. “I think we’ve been happy to see the Castro Night Market in general well received by the neighborhood, and so the Halloween Castro Night Market is expanding on that, so we’re overall excited to bring it to the neighborhood and featuring a lot of local artists and entertainers.”

Among those entertainers, Sister Roma of the drag nun philanthropic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Carne Asada will move among the three stages emceeing various portions of the event, Carrington said.

“Halloween has been the high (un)holy holiday of San Francisco for decades,” Roma stated. “I have been hosting Halloween in the Castro since the 1990s and I am thrilled to be back this year as co-host of the Castro Night Market. Y’all better bring your best looks – the world is watching!”

Asada stated, “I’m beyond thrilled to be hosting the Castro Night Market alongside the legendary Sister Roma! This is truly a keystone event – one that brings excitement, energy, and the magic of Halloween back to the heart of the Castro where it belongs. 

“Now, more than ever, our community needs events like this. In today’s political climate, where so many are trying to dim our light, moments of joy, visibility, and togetherness are acts of strength and resilience,” Asada added. “The Castro Night Market is a celebration of exactly that – our pride, our creativity, and our unwavering spirit.”

Safety plans in place
The San Francisco Police Department is ready to ensure safety at the event. The B.A.R. reported at the start of this month that Mission Station Captain Sean Perdomo told the Castro Merchants, “We’ve ordered in 130 to 140 police officers” for the event. He asked barkeeps to stop serving liquor to-go – as is allowed for the event as it activates the new Castro entertainment zone permitting outdoor alcohol consumption within the footprint – one hour before the 10 p.m. end time for the night market.

“When people start to loiter when the event is over, that’s when we start to see problems start to manifest,” Perdomo said.

The SFPD’s James Pandolfi helps the department coordinate special events. At the merchants’ meeting he said, “Our goal is to make sure everyone is safe and has a great time.

“Our goal is to keep Castro [Street] open to traffic,” he said, adding there will be 25-30 parking control officers, as well as security guards, “to help with the whole thing.”

Pandolfi said 18th Street should be reopened by last call “so it doesn’t become another party from 2 to 4 o’clock in the morning.”

Perdomo concluded, “We do anticipate it’s going to be a good event.”

Dave Burke, a straight ally who is District 8’s public safety liaison, told the B.A.R. last week those plans were still in place.

“The San Francisco Police Department will have a visible presence during the Castro Halloween Night Market,” Burke stated. “This will be a vibrant, fun and safe event for everyone.”

Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who is the current District 8 supervisor, is similarly optimistic for All Hallows Eve.

“I’m hopeful it will be a safe, fun event for all,” he stated. “The organizers have put a lot of work into ensuring that, and I am grateful to them for it.”

Carrington said there are tentative plans for the Castro Night Market to return after the wintertime hiatus next year, but it’s “a little early to say anything” definitive about 2026.