For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Castro Street Fair.

Castro Street Fair

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Castro Street Fair" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Castro Street Fair
2008 Castro Street Fair artwork noting the 35th anniversary of the event founded by gay activist and politician Harvey Milk portraying him in iconic Superman style.
GenreLocal, LGBT, Arts, Entertainment
FrequencyFirst Sunday of October
Location(s)The Castro, San Francisco
Years active49
Inaugurated1974
Attendance300,000 (2007)
WebsiteCastroStreetFair.org

The Castro Street Fair is a San Francisco LGBT street festival and fair usually held on the first Sunday in October in the Castro neighborhood, the main gay neighborhood and social center in the city. The fair features multiples stages with live entertainment, DJs, food vendors, community-group stalls as well as a curated artisan alley with dozens of Northern California artists. Due to community pressure the fair restructured the organization and partnered with local charities to collect gate donations and partner with groups at the beverages booths to raise money for those charities.

Jugglers at the fair in 1975

The Castro Street Fair was founded by Harvey Milk, and the group he led, the Castro Valley Association, in 1974.[1] It attracted over 5,000 people.[1] The event's popularity grew quickly and by 1977, the attendance reached 70,000.[2] The influx of visitors helped promote the Castro district's growing tourist industry.

Castro Street Fair is one of San Francisco's many street fairs, including the North Beach Festival, Union Street Festival and Haight Street Fair. These fairs run throughout the summer, from spring to fall. The Castro Street fair takes place on the afternoon of the first Sunday in October. The large turn-out makes it one of the largest of the annual street events in San Francisco, behind San Francisco Pride in Civic Center, Folsom Street Fair south of Market Street, Pink Saturday in the Castro, and the Union Street Festival.

The fair went on hiatus in 2020 (due to the COVID19-pandemic) and returned in 2021.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Shilts, Randy (1988). The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. Macmillan. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-0-312-01900-6. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  2. ^ Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2011-09-01). "San Francisco's Castro district: from gay liberation to tourist destination". Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 9 (3): 237–248. doi:10.1080/14766825.2011.620122. ISSN 1476-6825. S2CID 143916613.
[edit]


{{bottomLinkPreText}} {{bottomLinkText}}
Castro Street Fair
Listen to this article

This browser is not supported by Wikiwand :(
Wikiwand requires a browser with modern capabilities in order to provide you with the best reading experience.
Please download and use one of the following browsers:

This article was just edited, click to reload
This article has been deleted on Wikipedia (Why?)

Back to homepage

Please click Add in the dialog above
Please click Allow in the top-left corner,
then click Install Now in the dialog
Please click Open in the download dialog,
then click Install
Please click the "Downloads" icon in the Safari toolbar, open the first download in the list,
then click Install
{{::$root.activation.text}}

Install Wikiwand

Install on Chrome Install on Firefox
Don't forget to rate us

Tell your friends about Wikiwand!

Gmail Facebook Twitter Link

Enjoying Wikiwand?

Tell your friends and spread the love:
Share on Gmail Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Buffer

Our magic isn't perfect

You can help our automatic cover photo selection by reporting an unsuitable photo.

This photo is visually disturbing This photo is not a good choice

Thank you for helping!


Your input will affect cover photo selection, along with input from other users.

X

Get ready for Wikiwand 2.0 🎉! the new version arrives on September 1st! Don't want to wait?