San Francisco Castro Halloween Party

Update: here are the photos.

On the evening of Oct 31, 2006, with the folks I met through BayAreaFunClub we went to THE HALLOWEEN PARTY at Castro St, in San Francisco. So, 11 guys and 11 girls all wearing costumes (I was a mime, wearing black and face painted), we took the M Train to Castro and joined about 300,000 people enjoying the music, each other's outrageous and funny costumes and the occasional bullets flying by.

Yes, 10 people were injured when a gay (did I type gay? Freudian slip, I meant a guy) standing 50 yards up the street from me suddenly pulled a gun and started firing. When people heard loud bangs and realized they were gunshots, they screamed, dove to the ground, and then, ran for their lives.


Absurd mayhem and a stampede ensued after the shooting as party-goers dressed as mermaids, fairies, vampires and vixens fled the scene of violence near one of the main stages. Fortunately, nobody died because of this yet, although 2 injuries are life-threatening.


Within minutes people were pushed to the sides of the street, and it was full of ambulances, cops in riot gear and helicopters flying overhead. In another 15 minutes victims were transported to the hospital, bad guys detained and the party continued.

Apart from the shooting, I really enjoyed it, and will check it out next year for sure. The vibe and the sheer number of people reminded me of Burning Man.


Media Coverage:

Google News link

More Photos: