RateItAll: The Opinion Network

This is my second rating for this street fair. I still love it once I get inside but what annoyed me last year was the aggressiveness at the human "gates" for donations for what used to, and should continue to be, a free street fair. What if I was just going into the IGA supermarket (which I was)? What if I lived there? If I pay the $5.00 like they, Pride, and Carnaval try to squeeze from each fair-goer, I'm going to have that much less to spend at the fair, and I'm low-income. One guy was just too overly aggressive about trying to get money out of me. I'm sure all of these fairs are for good causes and that maybe they need the donations to help pay for extra police protection in some of these areas, but maybe they could look for ways to request it by other means instead of trying to totally block each street entrance off by installing several aggressive donation-takers. Our street fairs are traditionally supposed to be FREE -- like the North Beach, Union, Fiesta on the Hill, Fillmore, etc are. The idea is to go into the shops and browse -- I've found new shops this way that I really like because I went to a street fair on that street -- and especially to support the local artists and food-sellers at the booths. I get hit up for too much money as it is by spare-changers everywhere I go, and I'd like to be able to pick up food, drinks, or something fun from a shop and/or booth instead of handing out five bucks when I would rather spend it inside the fair. Please keep street fairs FREE! I do like the music, shops, and booths here and it IS a peaceful, well-behaved fair even though it's so large.

From ho to hum, the same tired old crap, complete with really horrid music blights this neighborhood. Geez! Do people still wear tie-dyed jockstraps?

I so look forward to this noisy, fun and very gay street fair every year. My favorite of all of them -- I enjoy this one even more than the Fillmore fair. This supercool event brings huge numbers of people, with lots of music and interesting booths. Last year I did think they should've had more porta-potties in the area though. SF Street fairs are great places to take your company from out of state. Always lots of good food and entertainment and plenty of people-watching.