Our Photos of the LGBTQ+ Event in San Francisco – The city of the Golden Gate Bridge was a truly inspiring place on the Pacific West Coast. During our first gay travel adventure to the South West of the USA, we spent almost a week at the beginning of October in San Francisco, one of our favorite cities in the United States of America. It was a perfect pick of date since it was the right weekend to attend the 43rd edition of the Castro Street Fair in San Francisco, originally founded by Harvey Milk. Join us now on our Pride trip full of rainbows and sexy men in San Francisco and see the great alternative Gay Pride through a couple of men‘s eyes.
Rainbow flags all over the neighborhood, colorful street decorations around Castro Theater, and motley-dressed people of all genders celebrating unity, equality, and freedom in the streets of the Castro District in San Francisco. No wonder that the Castro Street Fair got a spot in our 13 Top Highlights of our Road Trip South West USA! Enjoy our photos of the Castro Street Fair in San Francisco, founded in 1974 by Harvey Milk, and get inspired for your trip to the Bay City in California.
Next Queer Event: 49th Castro Street Fair on October 1st, 2023!
Promo Artwork for the LGBTQ+ Event in San Francisco
Our Experience at Castro Street Fair
San Francisco in late summer and early autumn time is simply beautiful. We spent the late September days around San Francisco Bay, biking the Golden Gate Bridge, exploring Fisherman’s Warf, and enjoying some great restaurants in nearby Oakland and San Francisco. Part of our explorations of S.F. has been the gay neighborhood of San Francisco, Castro, located right next to the well-known Mission District.
The first Weekend of October and our last days in San Francisco at the same time were dedicated to one of the best Gay Pride Festivals in California, the Castro Street Fair. Although Folsom Street Fair and Gay Pride Festival in San Francisco are much more popular, the neighborhood Castro Street Fair should not be forgotten on your Gay Pride Agenda. The area around Market Street junction Castro Street and 18th Street with its Gay Bars, gay shops, gay-owned restaurants, and cafés is simply the best part of the city for gay travelers who are looking for the real respective gay life in the town.
The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods…
—Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk Day – 22nd May and beyond
Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in California and a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, was born on May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, New York. After moving to San Francisco’s neighborhood Castro, the heart of the LGBTQ+ community of the city, he co-founded the Castro Village Association to unite gay business owners and launched the inaugural Castro Street Fair in 1974. He believed in safe, strong neighborhoods supporting public education, affordable childcare, and equal rights for all.
In 1978, he was finally elected to the position of city supervisor in San Francisco where he continued to contribute to the cause of equality for all people. In 2009, Harvey Milk Day was officially signed into law by the then-governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And his work continues until today through the work of the Milk Foundation, founded by his nephew Stuart Milk after Harvey Milk died. Interesting fact: Harvey Milk was included in a list of “The 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century” by Time magazine. We added him of course to our list of the most influential LGBTQ+ activists.
Harvey Milk & his Castro
Well-known gay activist and California’s first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk was elected to a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and founded the Castro Street Fair in 1974 together with the other members of the Castro Valley Association. Since then, the annual street fair showcased & supported local LGBTQ+ friendly companies and citizens. Next edition: 49th Edition Castro Street Fair 1st of October 2023!
Our best pictures of the 2016 Castro Street Fair
It was fantastic! The moment we left the underground station at Market Street junction Castro Street, we were welcomed by a group of beautiful Drag Queens, answering our questions about where to go and what to do. And there we were, right in the middle of a colorful street festival. The mixed crowd of sexy gay guys, beers, teens, Drag Queens, and lesbians created such a lovely, friendly, and positive atmosphere. We felt at home on the other side of the world.
Right behind The Castro Theater, a group of same-sex couples danced to Latino music, while Fair Stands offered beer and various gay and non-gay products on Castro Street and 18th Street. After crossing the junction, Castro Street and music stages on 18th Street with a dancing crowd made us and other visitors dance through the sunshine, take selfies, change numbers, and simply enjoy the great mood of everyone. All in all, Castro Street Fair is worth visiting while staying in San Francisco the first weekend in October. Proud. Free. LGBT. One Community.
Gay USA Travel Guide
Let’s get inspired by traveling to the country of boundless opportunities, the United States of America. We visited New York, Dutchess Country, California, the US-American Southwest, as well as Oregon, including Portland and Illinois, with stops in Chicago and Galena. And don’t forget to visit Disney Parks and Universal Studios!
More Articles for your gay travels to the USA:
- All about our stay at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort >
- Our Review of the Yosemite Lakes Resort in a Yurt >
- All Articles of our 1-month Road Trip South West USA >
- Read our 13 Top Highlights Road Trip South West USA >
- Our gay-friendly Apartment The Willow in Los Angeles/ Hollywood >
- Enjoy all our photos, videos & stories of Gay Pride Trips Worldwide >
What to do after sunset at Castro District?
Various bars and clubs offer drinks and great parties all night long. We met a bunch of handsome men and joined them for some drinks at QBar and The Mix before having some of the best burgers in town at Hi Tops. Our highlight of our gay night out in the Castro District, San Francisco was the Drag Queen show performed by our beloved Alyssa Edwards at bar Beaux. We hope we can attend another edition of the Castro Street Fair and become a part of the LGBTQ family of San Francisco again, at least for a weekend!
Support local LGBTQ+ Businesses in San Francisco
Support the local LGBTQ+ business and learn about the history of LGBT activists first hand – The experience to be among the queer community of San Francisco was refreshing and reminded us once again, where we as gay people, among others, come from. Nothing can be taken for granted, especially the right to be who you are. But of course, we had many more plans besides our lovely queer weekend in Castro.
Biking the Golden Gate Bridge with sunset view, exploring the harbor area around Fisherman’s Warf, having drinks at Castro District, taking a walk at Golden Gate Park, or attending a Drag Show in one of the Theaters of San Francisco, on our trip to San Francisco we had a blast of a time, besides the Folsom Street Festival and Gay Pride San Francisco, USA. But we need to come back to see even more of the wonderful bay city in California. Our one-month road trip to South West USA started and ended in San Francisco, and it won’t be our last travel to S.F. and maybe even to the next Castro Street Fair.
Do you want to know more? Stay tuned… on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. See you again in the States and around the world!
Karl & Daan.