This last weekend, we strapped on our jockstraps and harnesses and attended the Folsom Street Fair — it’s the world’s largest leather event and also said to be California’s largest public event right behind the Rose Bowl and San Francisco Pride. While walking and gawking, we thought about why so many people flock to the annual event. Here’s what we came up with:

1. The sex

Several bars and private venues around San Francisco host sex parties during Folsom weekend — parties with names like Steam, New Breed, Aftershock — with dance and play areas for anyone feeling frisky (word is that the downstairs sex rooms of New Breed at Club Six were so crowded that it was was hard to breathe). You can get turned on at the Fair and then enjoy one of many sexual afterparties (either a private one in someone’s apartment or a paid one like Deviants). You can even get a handjob or more at the Fair, but be warned: though many fair-goers get away with it, public sex (lewdness) is still illegal.

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2. To let their freak flags fly

We don’t often see BDSM and kink in media or even our own hometowns; at the local Eagle you may see some leathermen, pups, or exhibitionists in skimpy sports gear, but they’re hardly the norm. It’s no wonder that international kinksters (queer and straight) travel to Folsom just to see the sexual id in public. While the Fair offers a sexualized atmosphere, it also makes you feel a lot less isolated and provides a place to celebrate and share your desire with thousands of others — a rare treat, especially if you live in an isolated or conservative area.

3. They want to be recognized in the community

For some LGBTQ folks, Folsom isn’t about sex, it’s about showing support for the alternative and kink community, especially as mainstream LGBTQ culture enters the conservative institutions of military, matrimony and money-making. Many folks just attend Folsom to help donate their time and money to its numerous HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ and other community beneficiaries. The Fair also provides a place where you can establish your kink cred — what better way to do that than by performing, participating in a kink demonstration, or just showing up for a mosh or after party where your gear, body and technique will gets lots of attention?