How to describe the Folsom Street Fair except as a sort of one day Burning Man for the BDSM crowd.  It’s a chance for all types of people to come together for a day and share their kinks with no judgement (well not much).  It’s not perfect because of all the tourists who just come to gawk, but the majority of attendees are wearing their colors, costumed in some interesting/weird way or showing lots of skin, tattoos and piercings.

The longer you live in San Francisco, the more you begin to accept alternative realities. There’s a reason “Westward, ho!” was a battle cry for pioneers, and not just for people leading their hooded partners around by a leash down Folsom St. People come here from more repressive parts of the nation and globe to reinvent themselves, and to be free. As a result, the fair is an adult-only event celebrating alternative sexuality.  This was the 29th annual fair and it continues to attract a huge crowd. For a slide show, click on photo above.