The Eagle SF

The Eagle SF has been a cornerstone of San Francisco's leather and SoMa bar scene since it opened in 1981. The Sunday Beer Bust — a Sunday afternoon outdoor event with live DJs, cheap beer, and the leather and bear community gathering in the bar's outdoor space — has been running since the early 1980s and is one of the longest-running continuous gay events in the United States. The event began as a community gathering during the AIDS crisis years, and its persistence through those years and beyond gives it a weight of history that newer bars cannot replicate. The Eagle is the anchor of the SoMa leather scene: the bar that has remained while others opened and closed, the constant in a neighbourhood that has transformed beyond recognition since the 1980s. The interior is classic leather bar — dark wood, motorcycle paraphernalia, pool table, outdoor patio — and the crowd encompasses the full range of leather, bear, and masculine-presenting gay sub-cultures. The Eagle hosts charity events, leather contests, and community fundraisers in addition to its regular programming. Sunday Beer Bust starts at 3pm and runs until the evening, with a cover charge that goes partly to charity.