The Le Fag Guide to Folsom Weekend 2009

Being headquartered in San Francisco, we at Le Fag have weathered a good many Folsom Street Fairs and survived to tell the tale.  Is leather still relevant? We don't know. It's kind of like asking if drag is still relevant, and our answer would of course be Fuck Yes, but many would argue otherwise... because they're morons. In any event, Folsom is still a big gay holiday here and a moment for hard-core fetish queens to find new daddies, and for the rest of us to pull out our harnesses and leather jocks for the second time this year and play at being old-school gay.

Below, some events happening this week/end in SF. If you're way into this shit, you may want to check out this more complete listing.

WEDNESDAY 9/23	THURSDAY 9/24
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Leathermen's Discussion Group Annual "Creative Sex" Fetish Fair SF Citadel, 1277 Mission St 7:30PM - 12:30AM From 7:30-10:30 it's a BDSM lover's dream, with all genders welcome for two floors of live demos. After 10:30, however, the ladies etc. are kicked out and it's a men-only affair.	Leather Week Formal Dinner supperclub, 657 Harrison 6PM, $75 Yes, you read that right. Folsom St. Events always has a gala dinner for the community during Leather Week, and this year's headliner is drag star Varla Jean Merman. Attire requirements: leather/kink-wear, "dress leather" or a tuxedo. Buy tickets here.
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FRIDAY 9/25	FRIDAY 9/25
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Making Leather Gear Workshop Femina Potens, 2199 Market 7PM, $50 This educational seminar at lesbian art gallery Femina Potens will likely be a lesbian- and trans-centric affair, featuring a demo and hands-on instruction on making leather gear. All guests will leave with their own pair of handmade leather cuffs.	Mark I. Chester Open Studio 1229 Folsom 7PM - 11PM, free Join gay radical sex photographer Mark I. Chester as he opens his studio to show off his BDSM-inspired photography. Chester's been photographing SF leathermen since the 70s, and he's doing free digital (sexual) portraits of anyone who comes into his studio.
CA Boots & Breeches Corps "Roll Call" Location undisclosed 7PM, $85 It's a special uniform banquet for the hardcore uniform fetishists (think policemen, soldiers and the like), featuring a catered sit-down dinner and benefiting Project Open Hand. Venue disclosed upon purchase.	Pop Goes the Zipper Triple Crown, 1760 Market 9PM, $5 A party more for the boys, featuring the pop music DJ stylings of drag queen cum porntrepreneur Chi Chi Larue and famed drag fluffer to the stars, Sister Roma, along with a bevy of gay porn stars and Big Brother 10 houseguest Steven Daigle.
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SATURDAY 9/26	SATURDAY 9/26
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The Notorious City Tour, Leather Style LGBT Historical Society Start: 499 Castro 10:30AM - 3:30PM, $75 Hop aboard a double-decker bus and take in San Francisco's LGBT and leather history, c/o of the LGBT Historical Society. Tickets here.	S.S. Trannyshack, "A 3-Hour Tour" Pier 41 8:30 PM, $45 Hop aboard this drunken cruise with Heklina, DJ Juanita MORE! and Jackie Beat's band Dirty Sanchez for a boatload of boozy fags, music, and fun.
Big Top Club 8, 1151 Folsom 9PM - 3AM, $5 before 11 It's a homo disco circus with DJs David Harness and Chelsea Starr, a performance by Mercedez Munro, and a wet jockstrap contest with hostess Oxana Olsen.	Raging Stallion Man of the Year / Industry Mighty, 119 Utah 8PM - 3AM Raging Stallion Studios' annual party crowning their favorite son, followed by a big dance party. It's free with a ticket before 10PM, otherwise $15-$25.
Bootie Salute to Folsom DNA Lounge 375 11th St 9PM - 3AM, half price before 11PM, $12 after This perennial mash-up fest will be a much more mixed crowd than any of the other events listed here, and free CDs go to the first 100 people through the door.	Magnitude Regency Ballroom 1300 Van Ness @ Sutter 10PM, $80 Nicknamed "Fagnitude," it's the big circuit-y party of the weekend, featuring an upstairs "dungeon" in the old Masonic attic-lodge. But yes, it's a little expensive if you're not a wealthy gay tourist.
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SUNDAY 9/27	SUNDAY 9/27
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THE MAIN EVENT Folsom bet. 7th & 12th 11AM - 6PM It's the largest leather/fetish event in the WORLD, and it's the third largest single-day outdoor event in the state of California. This year's the 26th anniversary, with some great music acts and DJs, so make sure to remember your safe word. And for god's sake, wear sunblock.	Homochic Beer Bust Paradise Lounge 1501 Folsom St 6PM-10PM, $8 Many will land at The Eagle, or Truck, or the big circuit event after, but this cool little venue will be hosting a beer bust that'll be a sure landing spot for all the hip kids when the fair is through, complete with good music. Also, it's a benefit for the Homochic float at Love Parade.