Halloween has been cancelled. This is all.

October 4, 2007 10:08 PM

Where should we go for our first Halloween in San Francisco?

So the rumor is, Halloween in the Castro has been cancelled this year, after the shooting last year. There won't be street barricades or port-o-potties, and neighborhood businesses are being encourage to close up on Halloween. At 10, the police will start getting people off the streets. At midnight, they take out the fire hoses.

So I have a kick ass costume and would love to go to a party where there will be other awesome costumes. I thought the castro would be perfect. Would it still be? Various friends who live in downtown (but not the Castro) have variously told us that "Nobody will shut the Castro down" and "You'd be insane to go. Only the bad guys will be there"

Any advice from other denizens of SF? If it matters, I'd be going with a few buddies, male and female, but we're all on the petite side. If you don't think the Castro is a safe/interesting place to be, where should we go? We read about the Annual Exotic Erotic Ball but frankly that looks less like fun, awesome costumes and more like college chicks in negligees.

Suggestions? Recommendations? Happy Halloween!

posted by arnicae to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 comments total)

Anywhere but the Castro! As a cranky former resident of the Castro, I haven't enjoyed Halloween there for years. Lots of people not in costume, lots of alcohol consumed, and yes, the violence has been ramping up higher and higher every year.

My recommendation would be to find a private party or benefit event, but I have no actual suggestions for you there.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:15 PM on October 4, 2007

Please respect the no-party-in-the-Castro; it's not just a rumor - the city has shut it down. And nine people were shot last year.

You've got three weeks - how about if you and yours throw a party?
posted by rtha at 10:47 PM on October 4, 2007

Well, this is our party! It's at one of the newest clubs in SF, Temple. If you want to dance your ass off to some of the best house & breaks SF has to offer then I'd say don't miss this.

We're also Burners, so we definitely know kick ass costumes!
posted by lannanh at 10:53 PM on October 4, 2007

gingerbeer- sorry that you haven't particularly enjoyed it as a resident. Growing up with my (gay) uncles, their stories about being in the Castro at Halloween were some of the most fondly repeated ones.

rtha- if you checked my links, you'll notice that I linked to all the recent newspaper articles and the Halloween in the Castro site. There was a public meeting last week and this week. The issue may be ongoing, a public official I work with told me last night. And I alluded to last year's shooting, too- its in the 'extended explanation' portion of my post.

I usually have a Halloween party every year, but I've seen my cousin Morris' old gorilla suit at least a dozen times, and hey- I live in San Francisco now. I've loved all the public events I've participated in so far (yup that was me, with that thing and that other thing posing at the Folsom Street Fair) and just want to enjoy the holiday *and* the other unique denizens of the Bay area. What are you doing for Halloween?

lannanh- We may check it out- thank you!
posted by arnicae at 11:29 PM on October 4, 2007

arnicae - Sorry, didn't mean to come off as snarky/mean. From reading M&R's column the other day, it seemed like halloween is a big nope: "City Hall has officially canceled this month's big Halloween celebration in the Castro - but from the looks of things, there will be more cops and city crews on hand than ever to make sure the "non-party" doesn't get out of hand." I think a lot of folks have gotten sick of the too many drunk people, too many people out of costume (and thus there solely to gawk instead of participate), and too many drunk people. It sounds like it's not that fun anymore because so much of the neighborhood-y feeling has gone out of it.

Not likely to do much on Halloween itself, but if we're in town that weekend, we'll definitely go to Dia de los Muertos. Good luck with your plans, and have fun!
posted by rtha at 5:55 AM on October 5, 2007

Isn't Rob from cockeyed.com in San Fransisco? Check his costume index for details.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:11 AM on October 5, 2007

Sorry. I should have said (if you don't know Rob) that you should check out each costume. I think he mentions some of the places he has gone to.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:13 AM on October 5, 2007

"Isn't Rob from cockeyed.com in San Fransisco?"

No, he's in Sacramento. Unless he moved. :-)

Actually, downtown Sacramento used to turn into a nice big party. Forget San Francisco! ;)
posted by drstein at 9:30 AM on October 5, 2007

I'm thinking about going to a nice Jazz club in SF instead of the Castro, now. The Exotic Erotic Ball and others just don't sound all that appealing.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I just thought that since I was in San Francisco this year, I should be doing something more unique than usual. Maybe I'll just invite cousin Morris and all of my pals over for the annual party at my apartment. . .
posted by arnicae at 9:36 AM on October 5, 2007

One sort of fun thing to check out is Belvedere Street in the Cole Valley neighborhood. It's a couple of blocks where the residents do a really mazing job of decorating their houses. Not so much a party but always entertaining.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 10:06 AM on October 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

I've been to the EEB. It's not fun. There are many creepy guys who wears masks and are just there to leer and grope. It might be grand if you are an exhibitionist but I'm not going again.
posted by chairface at 1:16 PM on October 5, 2007

Much like your uncles, I used to enjoy Halloween in the Castro. I do have very fond memories of, among other things, dancing in shop windows along Castro, and some truly creative and awe-inspiring costumes. It was fabulous.

However (and here's where I start sounded like an aged cranky queer), it is no longer the neighborhood celebration that it used to be, and no longer feels fun, safe, or entertaining to me. I also think that this year will even more of a clusterfuck than usual, as described in those news articles. I hope you find a good alternative.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:32 AM on October 6, 2007