The Castro Street Fair this October will turn 51, and the celebration is already in full swing! Exhibitors and sponsors, such as those of us here at the San Francisco Bay Times, have already been busy getting ready for this iconic early fall-time fair. It is an especially hectic period for our Volunteer Coordinator Juan Davila, who will once again be heading up the Bay Times booth.
Bay Times lead photographer Rink will be there too, and has photographed every Castro Street Fair since the first one was held in 1974! Rink says, “Harvey Milk founded the Castro Street Fair after I invited him to join me at the crowded popular annual Upper Grant Avenue Street Fair in North Beach (now the North Beach Festival).”
First Castro Street Fair
Rink and Milk were among the over 5,000 people at the fair that day. It was a wild year: Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president forced to resign (due to the Watergate scandal) and Gerald Ford had only been in office for a few months at the time of the 1974 fair. Elton John was the top LGBTQ artist on the radio airwaves with singles from the previous year’s release Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (although he did not publicly come out until 1976), and Joseph Alioto was San Francisco’s mayor.
As the years went on, word about the great fair spread. In 1977, the estimated attendance was 70,000. By 2007, that number rose yet again to 300,000, according to the organizers. The fair went on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2021 and has been going strong again ever since.
Castro Street Fair 2025
This year’s theme, “Radical Happiness,” was chosen as a bold response to the times we live in. Across the country, LGBTQ+ people and communities are under attack—politically, culturally, and socially. In the face of this, the fair’s organizers believe that joy itself is a radical act. To dance, to gather openly, to support one another, and to celebrate our lives in the heart of the Castro is not just fun; it’s a declaration of resilience, solidarity, and love. Radical Happiness reminds that, no matter the challenges, our community thrives when we choose to show up for one another with joy.
The Castro Street Fair is all about celebrating the vibrancy of the neighborhood, the diversity of our community, and the importance of supporting our local artisans, restaurants, and merchants. Most of all, it’s about the family we’ve built together over five decades.
Every year, the fair transforms the Castro into a place where old friends reconnect, new friends are made, and community thrives. There’s literal dancing in the streets—and this year promises to be bigger, bolder, and even more joyful than ever.
Come experience the Radical Happiness of the Castro: where you can show up authentically, feel at home, and celebrate freely no matter who you are, how you identify, or whom you love.
We hope to see you at the fair on Sunday, October 5, 2025. If you go, please be sure to stop by the Bay Times booth near the Castro Theatre! https://castrostreetfair.org/
Published on September 25, 2025
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