The Castro Street Fair added the Golden State Warriors and the Golden State Valkyries as new sponsors of its 2026 edition. On Sunday, October 4, both teams staffed booths in front of the Castro Theatre, next to the Castro Street Fair Info + Merch Booth. The Fair congratulated the Valkyries as they headed into the playoffs.
The 52nd annual Castro Street Fair ran Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Castro and Market streets and through the surrounding neighbourhood.
One free Sunday, one ticketed piece
Admission is open to all. The Fair asks for a suggested donation of $10 to $20 at the entry gates and states that nobody is turned away for lack of funds. Donations go to the Fair's nonprofit beneficiaries and to producing the event, and the organisation reports more than $1.6 million distributed to local nonprofits since 1998.
The after-party carries a ticket price. The Official Castro Street Fair After Party at the Castro Theatre is presented by Polyglamorous and features Octo Octa, BEYA and Mark O'Brien. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., the show starts at 6 p.m., and the event is all ages. Tickets run $35.25 to $65.25 through Ticketmaster.
Five stage areas across the footprint
The Castro Stage at Castro and Market carries six hours of programming from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., opening with the San Francisco Black Pride Showcase and closing with DJ Stanley Frank Sensation. The Collingwood Stage at 18th and Collingwood runs DJs and showcases across the same window. The Queer AF Stage sits across from 575 Castro Street near 19th Street, the historic site of Harvey Milk's camera shop, with a lineup curated by Devlin Shand.
The Family Zone, new this year, sits on 18th Street by Diamond. It opens with Drag Queen Story Time with Per Sia, San Francisco's Drag Laureate, at 12 p.m., and adds face painting and a one-woman comedy circus. Sundance Saloon returns to the Castro Theatre parking lot with two-stepping, line dancing, quick novice lessons and a boot check.
How a group walks it
The Fair closes 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 is the recommended route, and the K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View and S Shuttle lines all stop at Castro Station, which sits inside the fairgrounds.
The Castro is an official Entertainment Zone. Guests aged 21 and over can carry eligible to-go drinks through the activated Fair footprint, with no glass or metal containers. Four bar partners take part, Beaux, Copper Kitchen & Microbrewery, Midnight Sun and QBar, and the 2026 donation sticker takes $1 off a drink at each. The Fair is smoke-free.
Exhibitor registration stayed open
Exhibitor registration for the 52nd Fair remained open through the event. The registration page carried its "Registration Is Still Open!" notice and linked the Eventeny page for the 2026 Fair. A mix of exhibitors lines Market Street, Castro Street and 18th Street, with three big stages and light entertainment between them. Vendors reach the team at vendors@castrostreetfair.org.
Rooms for the crew
The room side sits with the property. bookMyTeam negotiates group rates for a block of 10 or more rooms per night and publishes a band of 15-40% below rack rates, with no booking fee and no markup. Its San Francisco directory lists 562 hotels available. A team of four to six rooms sits below the usual threshold, though the platform notes that some hotels discount for as few as five rooms depending on season and availability.
Send the dates and the room count through the request form and compare the offers side by side with the group rate calculator.
Planning the next edition
The Fair runs on the first Sunday in October, and the organiser published no 2027 date at the time of writing. The 2026 edition supplies the template for a corporate team: an 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, a free gate with a suggested donation, and a single ticketed after-party to hold a small budget line. A manager can fold that day into a San Francisco trip and price rooms against the published Sunday window.
