30 August 2021

Late summer and early fall are street-fair season in San Francisco, and SF Pride has been working on our inaugural LGBTQ Freedom Day Fest on Valencia Street, to debut on Sunday, Oct. 10. It is to be an all-new, free event specifically for locals, part of our reimagining what Pride can be for our communities. And it is going to be in the Mission, a neighborhood with a rich LGBTQ+ history, particularly for lesbians and queer women.

But as we work on our plans for this event, we’ve determined that to produce a street fair with the safety and health of our communities at top priority, at the quality expected of SF Pride, is just not feasible this fall. We are not canceling — we’re merely postponing. Over the coming months, in addition to some new and returning fundraising events, we’re going to focus our energy on Pride 2022. (The window is still open for theme suggestions, by the way!)

In addition to centering lesbian history and culture, Freedom Day Fest was going to be held the day before National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11). We hope you’ll agree that one of the sweetest things about San Francisco Pride — or any Pride, really — is seeing people who’ve only recently come out gather with their friends for their first time. We remain as excited as we ever were to capture that spirit of wonder, and look forward to bringing Freedom Day Fest to all of you in October 2022.

Fred Lopez
Executive Director