Atmosphere
As one of the few occasions when sadomasochistic activities are encouraged and performed in public, it attracts a considerable number of sightseers and those who enjoy the attention of onlookers as well as hundreds of photographers and videographers. Although the costumes and activities are frequently transgressive, many attendees find the event "eye-opening" and positive. On the other hand, the event has at times drawn public and internal criticism for its bawdy atmosphere and broad tolerance of lewd behavior, and it is a regular target for unsympathetic organizations such as Americans for Truth about Homosexuality.
The organizers have reportedly earned a great amount of trust from city officials as they have demonstrated not only an exceptional level of community and volunteer support but also have risen to be a role-model for other street fairs in San Francisco which have faced opposition from various neighborhood groups. With the assistance of the high-profile Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence the gate donations totaled more than $300,000 in 2006 and the methodology emulated at other street fairs like the Sisters' Pink Saturday, the Castro Street Fair and San Francisco Lovefest.
The fair annually draws 400,000 visitors including kinky leather fans from around the world, and is the third largest street event in California, after the Tournament of Roses Parade and San Francisco Pride parade. Each year all proceeds from the Folsom Street Fair, including gate donations and beverage sales, are given to qualified local charities. These include AIDS charities and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence who lead the organizing effort at the gates themselves. The event generates over $250,000 annually for charity.
Fair organizers present two live stages for alternative bands and artists. Previous headlining live acts have included Ladytron (DJ Team), Dragonette, Imperial Teen, Berlin (band), The Presets, The English Beat, Shiny Toy Guns, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Nitzer Ebb, MEN (band) (featuring JD Samson of Le Tigre), My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Hard Ton, Monarchy (band), among others. Headlining acts for 2012 include The Limousines, Little Boots, and Ladyhawke (musician). Over time, the fair is becoming more and more well known as a venue for top-notch, international underground musical talent. There is also a dance area (one more) with DJs and cage dancers. In 2006, Folsom Street Fair introduced a women's area, first dubbed "Bettie Paige's Secret" then changing its name in subsequent years to "Venus' Playground." In 2007, an erotic artists' area was established as well.
Read more about this topic: Folsom Street Fair
Famous quotes containing the word atmosphere:
“Friendship among nations, as among individuals, calls for constructive efforts to muster the forces of humanity in order that an atmosphere of close understanding and cooperation may be cultivated.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are ... than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“All sound heard at the greatest possible distance produces one and the same effect, a vibration of the universal lyre, just as the intervening atmosphere makes a distant ridge of earth interesting to our eyes by the azure tint it imparts to it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)