Folsom Street Fair

when: Sep 2011 (annual)
where: Folsom Street
cost: Free
time: 11am-6pm
Leave your inhibitions at the hotel for the Folsom Street Fair. The politicians roll up for photocalls with a dominatrix; non-gays join in the leather-bondage parades and the atmosphere is friendly and inclusive at the world's biggest leather event.

Every year about 400,000 leather folk turn out for the event, a grand finale celebration of kinky love at the end of Leather Pride Week. The fair stretches from 7th to 12th Sts, along Harrison, Folsom and Howard. Vendors from all over the country come to flog their wares to a sex-positive crowd: everything goes as long as it's consensual.

Everyone, gay or not, is proud of San Francisco's tolerance and the Folsom Street Fair celebrates just that. Even so, the bare flesh, the leather and the muscled torsos are quite mind-blowing and if you do take a camera, you won't know what to snap next as you find yourself surrounded by some of the most outrageous leather, rubber and fetish attire.