Bay Area Reporter
More than 400,000 people from around the world attend the Folsom Street Fair each year, making it the largest leather/fetish event in the world and the third largest outdoor one-day event in California.
Only San Francisco’s Pride celebration and the Rose Parade in Pasadena top it in number of participants, but you can’t be flogged in public for charity at the Rose Parade.
“One of the great things about the leather community is the creativity and openness around sexuality and self-expression,” said Jacob Richards, president of Folsom Street Events, during a recent coffee date with the Bay Area Reporter. “It’s not specific to the fair, but the fair is a wonderful celebration of this aspect of the community.”
Folsom is just one day, but there’s plenty of buildup.
It starts the last Sunday in July with Up Your Alley Street Fair – Dore Alley, in common parlance. Last Sunday, September 18 saw Mama Reinhardt’s Family lead its annual Leather Walk (now in its 20th year) to fight AIDS and breast cancer. The Leathermen’s Discussion Group holds a Fetish Fair.
Preceding the main event this Sunday, September 25 is Leather Pride Week: seven salacious days of film screenings, discussion panels, spanking parties, motorcycle rides, and a formal dinner, climaxing with the world-renowned street fair.
For some, kink is confined to just one weekend of each calendar year or their tourist photos of San Francisco. To others it’s a pervasive hobby, even something approaching a philosophy, code of conduct, or way of life. …