DEVIANTS marks first new Folsom event since 2007

Folsom Street Events introduces a brand new fetish party for its 27th events season. With an extraordinary line-up of essential leather events, DEVIANTS (Sunday, September
26 from 6:00pm – 2:00am) becomes the fourth official Folsom event during San Francisco Leather Week.

Other events include the SF Leather Week Formal Dinner (Thursday, September 23), Magnitude (Saturday, September 25), and Folsom Street Fair (Sunday, September 26).

Folsom: Beer Bust at The Eagle

Unfortunately couldn't make it to Folsom this year but it doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the posters.

LA Leather Weekend

Starting with HARD TRIBE V Warehouse Party on Friday, March 27, Folsom Street Events is set to invade Los Angeles for LA Leather Week and ready to give you a dose of fetish fun. Tattoo Chris presents Jack Chang (Pig, Berlin) in his first LA DJ appearance for hot ‘n’ sweaty dancing in the main room and plenty of dirty action in the back room. Visit www.tattoochris.com for details and tickets.

On Saturday, March 28, Folsom Street Events joins LALC for one of the biggest leather contests of the year, Mr. LA Leather. Being held at Passive Arts, 10914 South La Cienega Boulevard in Inglewood, ticket information is available at www.mrlaleather.com.

And, finally, don’t forget to swing by MJ’s bar in Silver Lake for a hot after-party! SCREW and NAKED join forces with Folsom Street Events for a filthy party with Nick Piston ( www.mjsbar.com ) on Saturday night. Leather and latex attire is strongly encouraged –
underwear only on the dance floor. Who doesn’t like to drink in his underwear? I know I do.

Get on down to the west coast for LA Leather weekend, and mark your calendars now for Up Your Alley weekend (July 25 and 26) and San Francisco Leather Week (September 20 – 27).

Folsom announces 2009 beneficiaries (last year they donated over $340,000!)

The Board of Directors of Folsom Street Events has announced the recipients of its Major and Supporting Beneficiary grants today. Net proceeds from four San Francisco fetish events (Bay of Pigs™, Up Your Alley®, Magnitude®, and Folsom Street Fair) will be donated to local charitiesworking in public health, human services, and the arts. Last year, Folsom Street
Events donated over $340,000 to local and national charities in need.

Read all about it after the jump.



Demetri Moshoyannis, Executive Director, said, "Everyone is struggling in these
tough economic times, but our nonprofits will be hit the hardest. Many of them
are facing severe cutbacks in local and federal government funding, and we hope
to help fill the funding gaps." Andy Copper, Board President, added, "We are
incredibly proud to announce this year's Major and Supporting beneficiaries.
These organizations are a strong cross-section of the community's best
charities, and we are confident that they will work with us to create one of our
best events seasons yet."

This year's eleven (11) Major beneficiaries include:

* AIDS Emergency Fund
* Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
* Episcopal Community Services
* Maitri
* Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS)
* Positive Resource Center
* Project Inform
* Queer Cultural Center
* Shanti Project
* St. James Infirmary
* Tenderloin Health

As in past years, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will return to host the
gates for both major street fairs. This year's five supporting
beneficiaries include:

* AIDS Legal Referral Panel
* Central City Hospitality House
* Immune Enhancement Project
* New Leaf
* Pacific Center for Human Growth




Folsom's got a big one

A big check, that is, and they're giving it away.

The Board of Directors of Folsom Street Events announced charitable giving in the amount of $339,725 today. Andy Copper, Board President, says, “We are enormously grateful to our sponsors, beneficiaries, beverage partners, and the leather/fetish community for their generous support. 2008 was an historic year for us, marking the 25th Folsom Street Fair with unprecedented visibility, excitement, and events abound.”

According to Demetri Moshoyannis, Executive Director, “The majority of this check will support the work of our 16 Bay Area major and supporting beneficiaries that are working diligently to improve our communities in the areas of public health, human services, and the arts. However, our grant-making extends beyond these groups to include our nonprofit beverage partners, community partners, and the National Community Grants Program. Combined, we support over 60 worthy charities; and, we couldn’t be happier with the results of our giving programs.”

Today, Folsom Street Events hosts a very special evening to honor its beneficiaries, sponsors, and nonprofit beverage partners with a check ceremony. The event is held by invitation only and will occur at the incredibly chic and charity-minded supperclub in the South of Market neighborhood. Special invited guests include Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, and Joe D’Alessandro, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Sponsors included PRESENTING SPONSORS TitanMen.com, RECON.com, NakedSword.com, and GLOSS; PREMIER SPONSORS Steamworks, StraightHell.net, Mr. S Leather, Doc Johnson, Elbow Grease, Gay.com, and AdultFriendFinder; CHARTER SPONSORS Blow Buddies, Stockroom/Stormy Leather, XR LLC, Manhunt.net, Leatherpost.com, Powerhouse, Renoir Hotel, and Joie de Vivre Hospitality; and, MEDIA LIVE 105, SF Bay Guardian, IN LA Magazine, and Bear Party Magazine.

Magnitude at Folsom

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Anti-gay attack at Bay of Pigs at Folsom

I got this bulletin from the folks at Folsom late last night:

"Upon leaving our Bay of Pigs event at 535 York Street, San Francisco at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday morning July 27th, one of our patrons was brutally attacked and stabbed repeatedly. He was walking west on Mariposa, when he was jumped by a group of three Asian men walking east on Mariposa. The men were apparently speaking Chinese, and they were accompanied by three Asian women. We believe the attack was a hate crime. Luckily, he returned to the venue where our medical and security teams were able to rush him to the hospital. He is in stable condition.

We are writing to see if you or anyone you know has any information that may lead us to the attackers. If so, please contact Inspector Brian Danker - SFPD at 415-553-9256. Folsom Street Events cares deeply about the health and well-being of our community members. Please help us to look out for one another and help us bring closure to this dreadful incident."

If you happened to be there and saw anything please make sure to contact the authorities. And if you weren't, it's a good reminder to always be on the lookout and keep your wits about you. This kind of thing can happen anytime, anyplace, anywhere and the best defense is awareness.

Joan Rivers to entertain at 25th Folsom Street Fair

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Joan Rivers as our entertainment for the upcoming 25th Folsom Street Fair formal gala,” says Andy Copper, Folsom Street Events Board President. “We are both ecstatic and just a little frightened to witness Joan Rivers in the same room with 350 members of the leather community,” adds Copper.

The formal gala will help kick off San Francisco Leather Week (September 20th – September 28th, 2008). The week itself will offer an expanded range of social, artistic, historic, and cultural options for the community. “The gala is the first of its kind for us. We’ve never produced a formal event so we are anticipating a superb turnout,” declares Demetri Moshoyannis, Executive Director. Formal attire is required to attend the event, including formal dress leather and high-fashion kink wear. Tickets may be purchased exclusively online at the Folsom Street Events Shop.

The formal gala will take place in the luxurious Regency Center’s Sutter Room. Included in the ticket price is a specially designed menu from Small Potatoes, an open bar, and, of course, a very special and intimate performance with Joan Rivers. A display of selected pieces from the GLBT Historical Society’s exhibit of “25 Years of Folsom Street Fair” will be on hand at the gala, too. The event is likely to sell out as the space can only accommodate 350 people.

The added festivities will lead up to the historic 25th Folsom Street Fair, offering 250+ exciting and sexy exhibitors and vendors, hot food and cold drinks, and tons of artistic and cultural entertainment. The event hosts two live stages with 16 live alternative acts, a huge dance area with internationally renowned DJs, a dedicated area for women (“Venus’ Playground”) and a newly inaugurated artists’ area. This year, the Fair hopes to attract a famous and fun, top-name performer or two that will excite everyone in attendance. Previous performers have included Imperial Teen, Ladytron DJ Tour, Bob Mould, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult among others.

2008 Up Your Alley Fair

This year's Up Your Alley Fair takes place in on Sunday, July 27, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Up Your Alley Fair is located in San Francisco's South of Market district on Dore Alley between Folsom and Howard Streets. The fair has expanded to the adjoining block of Folsom Street between 9th and Juniper Streets and on to Tenth St. this year to give the crowds some breathing room.

Bay of Pigs

Bay Of Pigs is the official Folsom Street Fair/Up Your Alley Saturday Night Event. It's not too late to hop a flight to fabulous San Francisco and experience the one and only Folsom Street Fair.

25 Years of Folsom Street Fair

San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society and Folsom Street Events are celebrating 25 years of the Folsom Street Fair with a new exhibit at the GLBT Historical Society entitled Fun, Frolic, Fetish: Celebrating 25 Years of the Folsom Street Fair. The exhibit will open on July 24th, the Thursday prior to the Dore Alley Fair.