Folsom Street Fair filled San Francisco's South of Market on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The organiser, Folsom Street, calls the 2026 edition its 43rd annual and dates the event to 1984. The footprint ran along Folsom Street between 7th and 13th Streets, on 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Streets from Howard to Harrison, and on Dore Street from Howard to the end.
Entry runs on a donation. Gate volunteers ask each visitor for a donation, and a gift of $10 to $20 returns a fair sticker that discounts drinks at every bar on the grounds. The organiser's FAQ carries the gate terms a group closes before the stay.
The Gate Rules, As Published
The organiser's FAQ lists what is not permitted on the fairgrounds: weapons, knives, sharps, glass bottles, and cans. The pet rule covers the fairgrounds too. "Please do not bring pets of any kind to our events," the FAQ reads, and gives the reason that both fairs are crowded and sometimes very hot.
Admission is adults-only. The FAQ asks visitors not to bring children under 18 and describes the environment as one for adults. Gate and security volunteers stop anyone arriving with a minor, discourage entry, and repeat the policy at the entrance. Guests aged 18, 19 and 20 are welcome, and cannot drink. The organiser states that every partner bar is LEAD-trained by an ABC-certified trainer and that staff card every alcohol purchase.
Smoke-Free By Ordinance, And A Main Gate That Re-Enters
San Francisco city ordinance requires every permitted outdoor event to be smoke-free, and the organiser repeats the rule. Two routes exist for a guest who smokes. The first is to leave through a main gate and re-enter when finished. The second is a smoke-friendly business on the fairgrounds. Re-entry at a main gate is published, and the footprint runs from 7th to 13th Streets.
The Coat And Clothes Check Decides What A Guest Carries
Nudity is permitted at the fair. The organiser notes that a San Francisco law banning street nudity exempts permitted street fairs, and that coat and clothes check service operates on site. A phone, a wallet, a room key and a jacket need a home before a guest strips down, and the fairgrounds offer that home.
Public sexual activity runs against a published three-strike ladder. Security issues a verbal warning first and directs the activity indoors. Ejection from the fair follows, with the guest walked to the nearest gate. A return to the fairgrounds produces a citation, and the organiser hands the matter to SFPD. Inside the footprint, SFPD lends support only as needed, and the organiser's Safety team sits at fair headquarters, 1401 Folsom.
What The Guest Briefing Carries
The organiser's accessibility page carries the health and access terms to send ahead. A public health village at the main entrance offers vaccines and sexual wellness screenings. Water refill stations stand throughout the fair, and medical and first aid care is on site. Seating is provided at every community performance stage and at both food courts, and a wellbeing space run by Mukunda Studio sits at 1228 Folsom Street.
Transport goes in the same note. The organiser recommends BART for arrivals, and puts the average airport fare between $11 and $13. Muni, the city system of buses, trolleys and railway cars, shuts down at night. Fourteen accessible parking spaces serve the fair: four at Howard at Dore and ten more on Harrison at 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th. Parking is otherwise a reservation through SpotHero, which the organiser recommends in advance. The organiser notes that San Francisco stays cool through the traditional summer months and warms late in September, and advises layers.
The Organiser Runs Its Own Room Block
The travel page carries one room link, flagged for early-bird discounts, and that link resolves to BEI San Francisco, Trademark Collection by Wyndham at 50 8th Street. The link carries a group code, 260925FOL, and a stay window of September 25 to September 28, 2026. That window runs Friday to Monday, three nights around a Sunday fair.
The property page publishes 13,000 square feet of event space across five venues, capacity for up to 180 conference guests or 120 banquet guests, a non-smoking status, and distances of 14 miles from San Francisco International Airport and 20 miles from Oakland International. The rate calendar renders in the browser, so the page source prints no nightly rate. Treat the block as a channel and a date set, and ask the property for the price.
What The Brief Asks The Hotel
Five terms decide whether the block works, and each one comes from the property. The brief asks for the nightly rate that applies to the group code, the cut-off date when unclaimed rooms release, the deposit and its due date, the attrition percentage and the penalty formula, and the rooming list deadline with any name-change fee. Two more belong on the list for a one-day event: a guaranteed late checkout on the Monday, and a day-use rate for a guest who needs a room only between the 6 p.m. close and an evening flight.
Exhibitor booth space for the 2026 fair sold out, against a date set that ended in September. A coordinator building the next brief asks Folsom Street for the next calendar before pricing anything, then puts the same five terms in writing.
