In 2006, the San Francisco Bay Guardian ran a piece called “The Death of Fun.” Writer Amanda Witherell explored in depth, the recent changes in San Francisco that threaten to make street fairs and festivals more difficult and expensive to run.
Steven T. Jones, also of SFBG, followed up with a piece on the How Weird Street Faire and the community complaints which led to the denial of How Weird’s operating permit.
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Reggae in the Park is long gone. According to the Bay Guardian, one retired resident was responsible for most of the complaints and subsequent action.
The How Weird Street Faire was denied an operating permit in February of 2007, leading some to believe it's a sign of things to come. How Weird organizers lost their appeal of the decision.
The North Beach Festival couldn't get an alcohol permit in 2006, despite the fact that more residents and merchants supported the permit than opposed it. Alcohol sales are big revenue for these community events. Losing a permit can induce high admission charges or force the event out of business.
San Francisco police are pushing for a "beer garden" at the North Beach Jazz Festival. Alcohol drinking would be limited to an enclosed area. Families with under-age children would not be permitted.
Halloween in the Castro has seen significant restrictions in recent years, including an 11pm closing hour.
What's all the Fuss About?
San Francisco is unique, in part, because of its history of open expression . . . which includes public fairs and festivals, most of them free to the community. Recent increases in permit fees are making it prohibitive for the smaller organizers and non-profits to acquire the requisite permissions to operate. Crackdowns on alcohol consumption in parks are stripping some events of their alcohol permits.
The Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (ISCOTT) and the city's Recreation and Park Department fielded complaints from residents who balked at the noise and crowd issues these festivals bring to their neighborhoods.
Critics of the new, harsher policies say these restrictions will effectively put an end to San Francisco's colorful lineage of free festivals.
