Folsom Street Fair San Francisco

Folsom Street Fair is the biggest leather and fetish street fair on the planet, and it has been taking over San Francisco's SoMa district every September since 1984. It grew out of the neighbourhood's old leather bar scene, when the city was redeveloping South of Market and AIDS was hitting the community hard, and that history still shapes its tone: it is a fundraiser and a statement about sexual freedom, not a polite parade. Expect harnesses, chaps, pup hoods, rubber, bondage demos and a lot of skin. It is strictly 18+, and you should not bring anyone who will be shocked.

The fair fills 13 blocks of Folsom Street between 8th and 13th Streets, from 11am to 6pm on a Sunday. There are dance and live-music stages, vendor booths selling gear, kink clubs running public demonstrations, and beer stations, where you must be 21+. Entry is technically free, but the gate asks for a donation (usually $10 to $20) and you should pay it: you get a sticker that knocks money off drinks, and net proceeds go to Bay Area nonprofits in health, social services and the arts. The producer is the nonprofit Folsom Street, which also runs Up Your Alley, the smaller and more local fair in late July.