Bars Look to Pick Up Slack on Halloween Weekend

By Emma Hall

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, the issue of the 30-year-long historical Castro district celebration has come back from the grave.

However, like the past two years, there are no official city-sponsored festivities happening in the Castro or in the rest of San Francisco. After more than 500,000 attendees and nine people shot at the 2006 Castro Halloween party, the official event was shut down. Last year, a city-sponsored bash was held at AT&T Park but poor attendance led to that being canceled this year as well. Despite there not being an official celebration, the SFPD said it would still be out in full force in the Castro.
In 2007 and 2008 hundreds of police patrolled the neighborhood to prevent any outdoor gatherings and enforce a “zero tolerance” policy in regard to open containers.

“In years past we’ve definitely had an increased presence,” said SFPD spokesman Sgt. Wilfred Williams. “This year the plan is for an increased presence in the day and even more so on Halloween night.“

The city is again promoting their “Home for Halloween” PR campaign that encourages residents to stay in their own neighborhoods this year. The campaign’s website (homeforhalloween.com) states,“There will be NO Halloween celebration in the Castro in 2009 and the streets will NOT be closed. Traffic will flow normally. Bars and restaurants will be open for business.”
In 2007 the Home for Halloween campaign tried to shut down area businesses early to deter outsiders from traveling to the neighborhood, and many bars complied by closing down before 10 p.m.

Last year businesses stayed open, although the rainy weather kept many partiers away.
This year local shops will be open for business on Halloween again, and bars are expected to absorb the extra crowds.

Andrea Aiello, the Executive Director of Castro/Upper Market CBD said that they do not have an official position on Halloween this year, but that she expects it to be much like last year’s celebration.

“The bars are open, streets are open, everything will be fun,” Aiello said.
Aiello said the different neighborhoods will celebrate in their own ways, but as long as there will not be violence in the Castro again everything would be fine. “Although, if I was a bartender I would definitely expect more business because Halloween will be on a Saturday,” she added.

The controversy over Castro’s Halloween celebration has become well known. Starting on October 23, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco presents an opera based on this very topic, called “Halloween in the Castro.”

The opera is billed as “a biting, in-your-face social commentary about what has gone wrong with Castro Halloween.”

Copyright 2009 Castro Courier