Castro Street Fair: A Celebration of the LGBTQ Community

San Francisco is a diverse city that is home to people of different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. One such community is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community. The Castro street fair is celebrated every year at Castro district which is famous for being the heart of the LGBTQ world. Celebrating annual fairs is nothing new to the culture of San Francisco but this one particularly is extra special and significant. Here is all the information you need to know about the Castro Street fair of San Francisco:

History of Castro Street Fair

As Harvey Milk rightly said, ‘The American Dream starts with the neighbourhoods’. The Castro Street is a community celebration that was started by Harvey Milk back in 1974 as a form of reaction against the discriminatory policies made by local merchants. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in the state of California. He believed that gays must buy from gays and hence he organized the first fair. The first Castro Street fair attracted about 5,000 attendees. The fair made the Castro neighbourhood a centre for the LGBTQ community not only in San Francisco but its significance rose across the US. The Castro street fair is a protest and a celebration of the local community. It was also a centre for the struggle for civil rights. 

The fair quickly gained immense popularity and in the year 1977, about 70,000 people participated in the event.

About the Fair

The Castro Street Fair is an annual festival that celebrates the LGBTQ community in the Castro neighbourhood. It celebrates the variety and diversity of the culture and community of the region and makes everyone feel at home and accepted. It is open to everyone, the only code is to ‘be you’. Hundreds of local vendors, small businessmen, craftsmen and artists come together at this forum to showcase their work, produce and talents. The fair provides people with a platform to showcase themselves in their truest form. Stages with live music and dance pavilions are found all around the venue of the fair.

Unfortunately due to the pandemic, the event had been changed. But as Harvey Milk rightly said, ‘Hope never remains silent’.  Instead of the fair, the committee organized a scavenger hunt from the 27th September 2020 to the 10th October 2020. This hunt highlighted multiple historical and important facts about the Castro district and community. At a time when the businesses were running low, the fair attempted to attract 

People to the area. One clue leads you to the next destination and you never know whom you might meet on your way. This helped support the various small businesses, bars and restaurants in the Castro district and it was a fun and safe event that gave people an opportunity to step out after so long.

The Fair is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and all the money that is collected through the activities at the event are donated for social causes that are important to the Castro community as a whole. Some of the beneficiaries of the event are Bears of San Francisco, AIDS and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, Buen Dia Family School, Bay Positives,  Castro Community On Patrol, Healing Waters, Castro Country Club, Centro Las Olas and Haight Ashbury Community Nursery School. The fair also funds the rainbow-coloured flag that flies at the junction of market street and Castro street.

What

The fair showcases the talents brought together by the people of the Castro neighbourhood as well as the LGBTQ community as a whole. There are a variety of stalls and booths all around and you can buy gifts for your friends and family as well. You will get everything ranging from hoodies with inspirational quotes to authentic art by local artists. Local DJs, musicians and artists will be performing on the main stage and multiple other small stages. The fair also promotes local foods and produce so the food trucks are often owned by small local businesses and restaurants. The food court is a sample showcase of the eateries of the area with everything ranging from Aunt Betty’s gourmet corn dogs to flavours brought forth through the fresh produce of the local farmers and a lot of other munchies. 

When

The Street fair takes place on the first Sunday of October every year. It generally lasts all day and into the night as well.

Where

The fair is located at the heart of the Castro area at Castro street. It is in between the Market Street and the 19th street. The fair extends for about four blocks. You can check-in at the information booth for local tips about the event and a map to guide you. After this, you can head to the mainstage at 19th street or the area for food and drinks between 18th and Diamond streets that showcases a massive variety of food trucks and drink booths. The Dance Alley is located at the 18th and Collingwood street, so get your dancing shoes on, groove to the beat and show-off your moves. Don’t forget to go to 18th and Noe streets to the sundance saloon and join the line stepping fun.

‘Let’s meet midway’ is an event with a lot of fun activities and interactive carnival games. This is located between Castro and Noe streets. 

How to Reach

You can use various modes of public transportation and reach the location easily from downtown San Francisco. Muni Metro trains are an efficient and cost-effective option. You can take either the K, L, M or T trains and get off at the Castro St.Station.

You can also take the F market streetcar to the terminus of Castro and Market streets. Streetcars are a super fun way to travel while enjoying the scenic beauty and culture of the city as well. Either way, you will reach right in the centre of all the festivities.

If you are in the city, there is nothing better to understand the culture of the place than a street fair! The Castro Street festival is a vibrant extravaganza celebrating the diversity of the bay area. It is a festival where everyone feels loved and accepted. The vibe and the aura of the festival are just out of the world.