One day, one 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. window
The Folsom Street Fair held one day in 2026, Sunday 27 September, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The organiser's front page read "SEPTEMBER 27, 2026 11AM - 6PM", and the FAQ dated the fair to Sunday 27 September. That was seven hours on the street with one opening time and one closing time.
The home page carried the fair as the 43rd FOLSOM STREET FAIR. The About Folsom Street page dates the organisation to 1984 and reports more than $7 million given to nonprofit LGBTQ2S+ organisations since then.
Entry was a donation collected at the gate. The organiser states that a gift of $10 to $20 earned a fair sticker, and the sticker carried a discount at all bars.
The footprint you walked
The published footprint was Folsom Street between 7th and 13th Streets, 8th through 12th Streets from Howard to Harrison, and Dore Street from Howard to the end. The organiser's map named four gates, A through D.
Twelve outdoor bar locations sat across eight venues inside that footprint, and the Food & Drink page lists each venue with its street position. The Playground held 10th Street between Howard and Folsom, and the organiser reserved it for women of every kind and all trans and non-binary folks. Six food trucks stood on 9th below Folsom and eight food booths on 12th below Folsom. The map also marked water refill points, a clothing check, five ADA seating areas, a BIPOC lounge, and bicycle and motorcycle parking.
Getting in from SFO or OAK
The organiser's own travel answer routes the airport leg by BART. The average cost from the airport is between $11 and $13. Inside the city the same answer names Muni, its municipal system of railway cars, buses and trolleys.
That answer states the system shuts down at night, and a rider then relies on alternative transport. The organiser names cabs and ride services like Lyft or Uber.
The return leg carried its own plan
The 6 p.m. close set the last street hour. The organiser's lost-and-found note marks that hour as the end of the operating day. Items turned in after 6 p.m. wait until the Wednesday after the fair. The Safety team sat at the headquarters, 1401 Folsom Street, and the lost-and-found line is 415-552-3247.
Two more terms belonged on the same list. The fair was smoke-free under a San Francisco ordinance, and the organiser's route for a smoker was an exit through a main gate and a re-entry. Every partner bar was LEAD-trained by an ABC-certified trainer, and every alcohol purchase was carded. Guests aged 18 to 20 were admitted and could not drink.
The room discount on the fair's own travel page
The travel page carried a "BOOK YOUR ROOM FOR FSF 2026" block under an early-bird room discount line. The link resolved to BEI San Francisco, a Trademark Collection by Wyndham property at 50 8th Street, under group code 260925FOL, with check-in on 25 September and check-out on 28 September 2026.
Friday 25 September to Monday 28 September was three nights and covered the fair Sunday. A visitor who needed only the Saturday and Sunday nights booked two of the three. The rate sat behind the booking flow, and the code and the two dates were the published terms.
The same page recommends reserving parking in advance through SpotHero. Accessible parking at the fair was fourteen blue-zone spaces, four at Howard and Dore and ten on Harrison at 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Streets.
What to wear and what to leave behind
The organiser's weather note states that San Francisco is cool from June to August and that the city often enjoys a late summer in the second half of September. The note asks visitors to layer clothing and to carry a light jacket. A Folsom Street zip-up hoodie was sold at the merchandise booth, and sunscreen was available on site.
The grounds refused weapons, knives, sharps, glass bottles and cans. Pets were not admitted, and the organiser states that children under 18 are not admitted either. Nudity was allowed, and a coat and clothing check ran on site.
The walk and the rate
Straight-line distances from the fair's published headquarters at 1401 Folsom Street put seven lodging properties inside three-tenths of a mile on a 7 October 2026 map read: Civic Center Motor Inn at 364 9th Street, 0.11 mile; San Francisco Inn at 385 9th Street, 0.15 mile; Inn on Folsom at 1188 Folsom Street, 0.25 mile; European Hostel at 761 Minna Street, 0.26 mile; SoMa Park Inn Civic Center at 101 9th Street, 0.27 mile; Ram's Hotel at 80 9th Street, 0.29 mile; and Poter Hotel at 0.30 mile. BEI San Francisco at 50 8th Street, the fair's own block, sat 0.36 mile from the same point. These are straight-line distances from a map index.
Engine published San Francisco's citywide average at $165 a night across 3.1 million par-rate observations from May 2024 to April 2026. September read $192, 16 percent above that average, and the page states that its observations come from searches made 10 to 180 days before check-in.
The organiser's home page already lists the next Folsom Street Fair on 26 September 2027.