Gay things to do in san francisco

For most visitors, location is the key deciding factor, and so they may look at choosing a district or area first and then narrow it down to a hotel.

Naturally, many gay travellers will opt to stay in the Castro district, and of course here you will find a number of gay and gay-friendly hotel options, but there are gay and gay-friendly hotels spread across the city.

There are far too many gay-friendly hotels in San Francisco to list here, so for the purposes of this blog post I have included the three hotels I stayed at, one from each of the Castro, Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square district.

And for a much wider choice, check out my dedicated post on the top 20 gay-friendly hotels in San Francisco, where I have listed them by district for your ease.

The Westin St Francis San Francisco – Union Square

The Westin St Francis at Union Square was home for my very first 2 nights in San Francisco, and what a welcome to the city!

For those keen to maintain their wellness routine, guests enjoy complimentary access to the 24-hour Equinox Sports Club, featuring a state-of-the-art fitness centre and an indoor pool. It is a full-on all day street party, with music, multiple stages, drag shows, comedy acts, food, drinks and of course, the most important element, the gathering of the community.

The Castro Street Fair takes place each year on the first Sunday of October, and takes over pretty much the entire commercial zone of the district, from Market Street to 19^th Street and the whole of Castro Street.

Up Your Alley Fair

The ‘Up Your Alley Fair,’ or more commonly known as Dore Alley Fair, or even simply Dore Alley is a leather and fetiʂh-event held annually in San Francisco – with a reputation for being more hardcore than Folsom and not for the faint of heart!

Up Your Alley is a weekend of fetiʂh events, circuit parties and celebrations running over the last weekend of July, in the lead up to the last Sunday of the month being the Up Your Alley Street Fair.

Located in front of the legendary Powerhouse Bar, the street fair event runs between 9^th and 10^th Street, and along Dore Alley between Howard and Folsom Streets in the Soma district.

The event attracts almost 15,000 visitors come to dance, show, watch the performances and visit the adult-themed vendors and exhibitors, with a scene for a variety of different fetiʂhes – leather, rubber, sportswear, skin gear etc.

And from Friday to Sunday a number of the city’s circuit party organisers will be hosting various Dore Alley editions of their parties, with something available for everyone.

Gay Saunas in San Francisco

It might be surprising to hear that in a city as forward thinking and open-minded as San Francisco, with so various $ex-positive events spread throughout their calendar, that gay saunas and bathhouses don’t seem to exist here.

However, there is a reason for this, which as previously mentioned dates back to the origins of the Folsom Street Fair.

In the early 1980s during the height of the AIDS crisis the city imposed a ban on bathhouses, as well as any other gay meeting place, having private rooms with a locked door.

The movie palace, which became San Francisco Historic Landmark number 100 in September 1976, has remained shuttered throughout the pandemic but has found a second life as a place to catch street performances outside the ticket booth. The film house plans to reopen before its 99th birthday later this year.

Tucked away in an easily overlooked pocket of greenery off Market Street, fifteen waist-high triangle monoliths sit inside a park that’s smaller than 4,000 square feet.

The bridge is most often partially covered in fog, but we found this to just add something to our photos and make it even more dramatic!

Ride a Cable Car

San Franciscos cable cars have been transporting people around the city since the late 19^th century when they used to run 23 routes.

Whilst nowadays the locals may choose more efficient modes of transport to get around, the cable cars are a key attraction to the city, and taking a ride on one is an iconic experience for almost all visitors.

There are three of the original 23 lines still operating, taking passengers up and down the hills of San Francisco, through various neighbourhoods.

There was something so iconic about walking through the streets and hearing the cable car bells ringing even from blocks away!

Discover more with a walk along San Francisco’s own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, known as the Rainbow Honor Walk. With the right to be as outlandish as possible granted to all, a visit to San Francisco is sure to be a truly memorable experience, one where you can soak up rich queer history across a number of cool neighbourhoods while embracing the active LGBTQ community and local nightlife scene.

It was after all the district where Harvey Milk lived, and to date you can visit Harvey Milk Plaza as well as his former campaign headquarters.

Other historical landmarks to visit include the Rainbow Walk, which covers several blocks offering a walk of fame with plaques dedicated to key LGBTQ+ pioneers of the community, and Pink Triangle Park, commemorating the gay people persecuted in WW2.

Gay-Friendly Hotels in San Francisco

Without a doubt, you will be warmly welcomed as a gay traveller in pretty much any hotel you choose to stay.

Absolutely yes!

Known as the original ‘gay-friendly city,’ it is little wonder that so many LGBTQ+ people have chosen to make this city their home. Find out how we can handle the finer details of vacationing in style.