One Sunday, eleven to six, five zones
The 52nd Castro Street Fair runs Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Castro and Market Streets and the surrounding blocks. Entry carries a suggested donation of $10 to $20 at the gates, and the organiser states that nobody is turned away for lack of funds. Five entertainment blocks program the day under this year's theme, Where We Belong.
11 a.m. - the gates open on the Castro Stage
The Castro Stage sits at Castro and Market, and its programming carries the full six hours. The San Francisco Black Pride Showcase opens at 11 a.m. and runs to 2 p.m., with LBXX, The Junior and Ms. Love O. The Queer AF Stage opens at the same hour across from 575 Castro Street near 19th Street, the historic site of Harvey Milk's camera shop, with the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Collingwood Stage at 18th and Collingwood opens from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with AHUFF.
12:00 - the Family Zone and its first clock
The new Family Zone on 18th Street by Diamond opens its programme at noon with Drag Queen Story Time with Per Sia, the San Francisco Drag Laureate. The set runs 12 to 12:30 p.m. Summer Sky runs face painting through the afternoon, and Lucy Juggles brings a one-woman comedy circus set.
The Queer AF Stage moves to E'lish at 12:30 p.m., and that set holds the stage to 2:45 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Collingwood's showcase
The Collingwood Stage takes the US/BEAUX Showcase from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with US, Big Top, Boom Boom and LesBeaux.
2 p.m. - the Castro Stage's second block
The Castro Stage moves to the SF Freedom Band with DJ Ka'lonji from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Queer AF Stage hands to Jason Godfrey from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
3 p.m. to 6 p.m. - the closing blocks
Grace Towers Presents takes the Collingwood Stage from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with Puti Club, a salsa and bachata lesson, and La Femme Papi. The Castro Stage closes with DJ Stanley Frank Sensation from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the Queer AF Stage closes with Ronkat Spearman over the same two hours. Sundance Saloon runs in the Castro Theatre parking lot through the afternoon, with two-stepping, line dancing, quick novice lessons and a boot-check. The organiser publishes no hours for it.
Getting in and around
Four street segments close for the day: Market Street from Noe to Castro, Castro Street from Market to 19th Street, 18th Street from Diamond to Noe, and 17th Street from Castro to Noe. Muni Metro's K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View and S Shuttle lines all stop at Castro Station, which sits within the fairgrounds, and the organiser points riders to SFMTA.com for service updates. The Fair is a smoke-free event.
The gate donation earns a 2026 sticker that takes $1 off drinks at four official bar partners: Beaux, Copper Kitchen & Microbrewery, Midnight Sun and QBar. All four sit inside the footprint and the Castro Entertainment Zone. Guests aged 21 and over can take eligible to-go drinks through the activated footprint, with no glass or metal containers.
5:30 p.m. doors at the after-party
The Official Castro Street Fair After Party runs at the Castro Theatre on the same Sunday. Polyglamorous presents the night, with Octo Octa, BEYA and Mark O'Brien. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the show starts at 6:00 p.m., and the event is all ages. Tickets run $35.25 to $65.25 through Ticketmaster.
The 5:30 p.m. door opens 30 minutes before the Fair's 6:00 p.m. close, and the venue stands inside the same district as the footprint.
What the organiser publishes for the day
The organiser publishes the five entertainment blocks, every set window for the three stages, one Family Zone clock and a boot-check at Sundance Saloon. It publishes no hours for Sundance Saloon, no attendance figure and no capacity figure. The scale lines are the exhibitor page's thousands of attendees from all over the Bay Area and hundreds of local artists, vendors, craftspeople and organizations.
The Fair has run since Harvey Milk founded it in 1974, and it holds the first Sunday in October. After-party tickets are the only priced entry of the day, at $35.25 to $65.25 through Ticketmaster. The Fair itself asks a gate donation, and the sticker from that donation discounts the day's bar tab.