Friday evening, the Folsom Street Fair web site finally published the map of the fair. (This is not unusual for them: many years they don't publish the map or schedule until
after the fair has begun.)
And lo what do we see? That for the first time in over twenty-five years they have decided that our block of 11th Street is outside of the fair.
This has, to put it mildly, massive financial consequences.
So we mail them, and:
From: Angel Adeyoha <angel@folsomstreet.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 25, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: Why is DNA Lounge excluded this year?
To: <devon@dnalounge.com>
Hey Devon,
The map has been public since our ISCOTT application, and we can't make a change to our footprint two days before the event, legally. We have moved to a closure system with fewer gates to make it work better for our staffing and traffic control, and so have to choose where closures that are emergency exits would work best. We didn't want to fence you or Butter in, especially since we haven't had any conversations about participation with your bar. We can for sure discuss what sort of participation you'd like in the future, right after we get done with this fair!
I'm sorry it caught you off guard and we're always open to meeting to discuss further.
Let me translate that for you from its native Douglas Adams:
There's no point in acting surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for 50 of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now. ... What do you mean you've never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heaven's sake, mankind, it's only four light years away, you know. I'm sorry, but if you can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your own lookout. Energize the demolition beams.
Thank you, Vogon Street Fair Events.
Yes it did "catch us off guard" that for the first time in twenty-five years their organization chose to completely FUCK us with zero notice to the tune of $20,000 in combined lost sales -- from our outside bar that nobody can visit, and our free daytime indoor party that nobody will attend. "Golly gee, nothing to be done. Better luck next time, fuck you very much."
The street closure permit (ISCOTT 1532891) shows all of 11th Street marked as closed up to Harrison. There's nothing that indicates the block need only be partially closed. So they closed our entire street -- but intentionally excluded us from the fair anyway. Best of both worlds!
And not just us, of course: our neighbors Butter, Buzzworks, Audio, Bergerac and Halcyon are also fucked by this.
To be clear, this is not the City who did this to us -- this was done to us by Folsom Street Events, the corporation that runs the Folsom Street Fair.
Why would they do this? Who knows. Did we piss someone off? Did they decide that we're just not "Folsom" enough for them? On that note, here are some photos and videos of our parties on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening:
Update, Saturday Evening:
At around 10pm, a crew showed up to start installing the barricades. Now, let me clarify what that used to mean: at literally every previous Folsom Street Fair, the "gate" was a couple of 3' tall stanchions, a card table, and a drag queen with a tip bucket and a hard sell. This time? the "gate" they were building was an 8' tall chain-link fence going wall-to-wall, blocking even the sidewalk. This was an Outside Lands fence. This was not a, "Welcome to the street party, please tip" gate, this was a, "You are not seeing Charli XCX for free" barricade.
Which means that this was not just a design and psychological barrier to people at the fair coming our way, they made it literally impossible.
Anyway, funny story, they started setting up that wall just north of Buzzworks -- so only Buzzworks, Butter and DNA Lounge were fucked. Audio, Bergerac and Halcyon got to be inside the fair. This did not sit well with Vlad, the owner of Butter and Buzzworks, and he went off. He told the fence installers that either they were taking it down or he was, and eventually they said "I am not paid enough for this" and left.
And then Angel (Folsom Street Events Executive Director) called the cops on him! An hour later, a squad car showed up.
Cop: You can't keep knocking down the fence, they will keep calling us, that's their property.
Vlad: No it's not, it's abandoned garbage in the middle of the street in front of my door, keeping my customers away.
Cop: Hold that thought, here is someone else we need to go assault, TTYL.
Then the cops went and sat on some dude and 4 more squad cars showed up with sirens blazing to rubberneck, as they do. I don't even know what this dude did, I blinked and suddenly there was a guy face down on the concrete getting cuffed.
So, I dunno man. Our best guess is that Angel has beef with Vlad for some reason unknown to us, and Angel considers DNA Lounge to be acceptable collateral damage in their little feud. Who can even tell. This is still some serious bullshit that is costing us a colossal amount of money and I would prefer to just be able to invite customers into my venue and provide them entertainment, food and beverages without someone trying to persistently fuck my shit up, so if Angel and company could knock that shit off that would be greatly appreciated.
As of 11:30 AM, they keep trying to put the barricade back up and Vlad keeps taking it down. I guess he hasn't been arrested yet. This story is "developing", as they say.
We are all hanging on by god damned thread here, and we don't need this kind of petty, vindictive, petulant, childish, circular-firing-squad nonsense from people who should be on our side. Jesus Fucking Christ on a God Damned Pogo-Stick.
ANYWAY.
If you could find the time to visit us at DNA Lounge this afternoon and evening, that would really be appreciated. I mean, if someone is going to so much effort to keep you away from us, we must be throwing a pretty good party, right?
We will be here all day, at the ass end -- literally the ass end -- of this fucking fair.
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