The How Weird Street Faire, a cornerstone of San Francisco’s eclectic cultural scene, has danced its last beat on the city’s streets. Citing an unsustainable rise in production and permitting costs, the event’s producers have announced there will be no curtain call for the fair in 2025. First popping up as a Howard Street block party, How Weird evolved into an electronic music festival behemoth where outlandishly attired attendees could freely express their individuality.
Despite its solid base of supporters who routinely flocked to the event clad in fur, leather, and at times, TV sets, How Weird’s recent financial hurdles proved too challenging. The fair has been forced to permanently sign off following a particularly nasty spell of weather that rained on their parade this past May. Brad Olsen, How Weird’s founder, bemoaned the festival’s financial forecast, saying, “We created one of the most anticipated and beloved street fairs in San Francisco, but the personal financial risk going forward does not pencil out,” according to an interview with
The San Francisco Standard
.
The 2020 global health crisis played a significant role in the fair’s downturn, leading to a virtual attempt that fell short by $10,000, as detailed by Olsen. The freak rainstorm in May 2024 forced them to push back the event to September, further draining the coffers. The rescheduled event, despite drawing crowds, couldn’t offset the losses. In a somewhat ironic twist, Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Walz infamously derided opponents using “weird” as a pejorative; meanwhile, the word has long been embraced as a badge of honor by How Weird attendees, reflecting San Francisco’s vibrant diversity.
With the production duo based outside of California, efforts to obtain Covid relief funds and arts-related grants were also fruitless. The lack of sponsors aligning with the festival’s values and financial risks left the organizers with no option but to sunset the event. Olsen reflected on the event’s heyday, stating in a statement shared with
SFGATE
, “Thank you San Francisco, and all our How Weird patrons over the years. It was a fantastic time. We are sure the music will play on.”
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