Here’s one more reason to donate at the Castro Street Fair gates: your 2026 donation sticker gets you $1 off drinks at our Official Bar Partners throughout Fair Day.

Just flash your sticker at Beaux, Copper Kitchen & Microbrewery, Midnight Sun, or QBar and enjoy that little discount while you’re out exploring the Fair.

All four partners are located inside the Fair footprint and Castro Entertainment Zone…and yes, you can take that drink for a stroll. The Castro is an official Entertainment Zone, so guests 21+ can enjoy eligible to-go drinks — no glass or metal containers — from participating bar partners throughout the activated Fair footprint.

Best of all, your donation helps support the Fair’s nonprofit beneficiaries — cocktails and philanthropy, a winning pair. Cheers!

This year’s Castro Street Fair is bringing new energy, returning favorites, and plenty of reasons to dance in the street.

We’re thrilled to welcome San Francisco Black Pride to the Castro Stage at Castro and Market Streets for a special block of programming celebrating Black LGBTQ+ artists and community. SF Black Pride grew from an idea sparked by local artist and organizer LBXX (Gyasi Curry) and launched its first Pride Week in 2025.

At the Fair, the SF Black Pride lineup currently includes Ms. Love O, The Junior and LBXX, with programming still evolving and subject to change.

You’ll also find entertainment at the Collingwood Stage at 18th Street, the Queer AF Stage programmed by Devlin Shand, plus more new and returning artists throughout the Fair.

It all comes together under this year’s theme, “Where We Belong” — because sometimes belonging looks a lot like dancing in the middle of Castro Street with a few thousand of your closest friends.

The Castro Street Fair is thrilled to welcome the Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries as new sponsors of this year’s Fair! And we’re sending an extra-big congratulations to the Valkyries as they head into the playoffs — what a season, and what a way to make some Bay Area history.

On Sunday, October 4, both teams will be right in the heart of the action with booths located directly in front of the iconic Castro Theatre, next to the Castro Street Fair Info + Merch Booth, directly in front of the iconic Castro Theatre. Stop by, say hello, grab your Fair merch, and soak up some serious Golden State energy.

It’s a pretty perfect matchup: Bay Area sports, Castro community, and a whole lot of pride. We’re excited to welcome the Warriors and Valkyries to the Fair — and even more excited to celebrate together in the place Where We Belong.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Original artwork by Ece Kalabak, with graphic design and campaign adaptations by Özgür Baltutan, will shape the Fair’s visual identity with this year’s theme, “Where We Belong”

SAN FRANCISCO — September 9, 2026 — The Castro Street Fair is proud to share the full key art for its 52nd annual celebration, bringing this year’s theme, “Where We Belong,” to life through an original illustration by artist Ece Kalabak.

The newly revealed artwork will serve as the foundation of the Fair’s 2026 visual identity and marketing campaign, appearing across advertising, social media, digital communications, print materials, merchandise, signage and other creative elements leading up to the Fair taking place on Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.

Continue reading “52nd CASTRO STREET FAIR REVEALS FULL 2026 KEY ART” →

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Founded by Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s legacy street fair returns Sunday, October 4, celebrating the Castro as a place of joy, freedom, community and belonging

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — June 1, 2026 — On this first day of Pride Month, the Castro Street Fair announces “Where We Belong” as the theme for its 52nd annual celebration, taking place Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District.

Founded by Harvey Milk in 1974, the Castro Street Fair began as a celebration of gay-owned businesses and the vitality of the Castro neighborhood. More than five decades later, the Fair continues that legacy by bringing together LGBTQIA+ people, neighbors, families, artists, performers, merchants, community organizations and allies for a joyful celebration of queer life and community connection.

This year’s theme, “Where We Belong,” honors the Castro as a place where generations of LGBTQIA+ people have found community, safety, visibility and joy, and affirms that the neighborhood remains a beacon of freedom and diversity today.

The theme also creates space for a broader declaration of belonging: Where trans people belong. Where drag belongs. Where chosen family belongs. Where hope belongs. Where we belong.

Continue reading “52nd ANNUAL CASTRO STREET FAIR ANNOUNCES 2026 THEME: “WHERE WE BELONG”” →

One of the best parts of the Castro Street Fair is seeing community support turn into real impact.

This year, we’re proud to welcome 11 incredible nonprofit beneficiaries whose work strengthens, supports and celebrates communities across San Francisco:

Our 2026 beneficiaries are:

Buen Dia Family School
Castro Community On Patrol
Everett Middle School PTSA
Imperial Council of San Francisco
Instituto Familiar de la Raza
Maitri Compassionate Care
Queer LifeSpace
Quest House Community Healing
San Francisco CASA
San Francisco Spikes
Stonewall Sports San Francisco

Visit our Beneficiaries page to meet all 11 organizations, learn more about their work, and find your favorite cause to cheer on this year.

These organizations will also help bring the Castro Street Fair to life by rallying volunteers, welcoming guests, collecting donations and keeping the day moving. In return, funds raised at the Fair help support the work they do all year long.

Want to help manifest an even bigger impact? Register to volunteer and choose your favorite beneficiary organization to support on Fair Day, Sunday, October 4 — your volunteer hours help increase the funds they receive from the Fair.

That’s community supporting community, Castro-style.

Happy Birthday, Harvey!

Today would have been Harvey Milk’s 96th birthday.

In his short time here, Harvey created a legacy that is still felt today. For 52 years, we have continued his tradition of bringing the community together through the Castro Street Fair — a celebration rooted in joy, visibility, and neighborhood pride.

Harvey believed in the power of community, and the Castro Street Fair remains a living tribute to that vision. As he says in the video “A street fair should be — for the neighborhood, about the neighborhood, and by the neighborhood.”

Please help us continue supporting Harvey’s vision for the Castro Street Fair with a donation. All donations will support this year’s fair on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Interview with Harvey at the Castro Street Fair, 1976:

Video courtesy of Courtesy of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.