The Dore Alley newsletter
San Francisco’s kinkiest event returned with a day full of playful interactions and erotic exhibitions. This is our rewind.
We went fairly balls-to-the-wall for our coverage of Dore Alley 2024. It is The Bold Italic, after all, and we’ve been doing our very fair share of covering wholesome street parties, beer festivals and other chaste fun. It’s time for a little San Francisco kink and unapologetic expression, don’t you think?
But you’ve also been advised that there are some very saucy photos in most these stories. Dore Alley, San Francisco’s kinkiest event returned with a day full of playful interactions and erotic exhibitions on Sunday.
These are the latest fairly safe-for-work photos: Scenes from Dore Alley 2024
The NSFW Dore Alley photos
What’s a good San Francisco fair that doesn’t have a little bit of nudity? Or in Dore Alley’s case, a lot. Officially known as the Up Your Alley Fair, Dore Alley has an unapologetic embrace of leather culture, fetishes, intimacy, and sexual freedom. Its origins date back to the mid-1980s, when it emerged as a more intimate counterpart to the larger Folsom Street Fair.
Dicks ahead. Also butts, nips, and very sexually suggestive content. We did thin this selection out considerably given Medium’s policy of “non-graphic erotic images.”
Here they are: The NSFW Dore Alley photos
Harnesses, furries, and fun: What I enjoyed about Dore Alley this year
This year’s Dore Alley was a mosh pit of kinky fun, sexy outfits, and playful antics. San Francisco’s kinkiest residents took over SoMa for a block party known as “Up Your Alley,” or simply “Dore.” In near-perfect sunny weather, every age, race, and body type was on display as people explored a very sexy playground for grownups.
I saw people making out, hooking up, exchanging gay handshakes, tying each other up, and spanking each other. The fashion harness industry is thriving in San Francisco as seemingly every gay in town owns at least one, and we all had them on at Dore, and for some of us, little else.
Read the latest by Christopher J. Beale
From roe-mantic dinners to disco delights: National Caviar Day
National Caviar Day is officially an unofficial San Francisco holiday. Along with Fleet Week, Fog Fair, and the Decorator Showcase, National Caviar Day has become an event I look forward to attending every July.
A quick Google search provides no history or real significance as to why July 18 is National Caviar Day, or NCD. Like every other made-up culinary holiday, it most likely became prominent along with the internet and food blogs as a marketing tool for those who sell caviar. I went to two parties recently, one at St. Joseph’s and the other at the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Read the latest by Katie Sweeney
Inside the SF roller-skaters’ bittersweet anniversary
A temporary rink inside a Crissy Field hangar opened up recently to celebrate local skaters, whose infectious smiles we often see through the stained-glass windows of the Church of 8 Wheels. The OG place of worship in Fillmore became an iconic roller disco in 2013, but the group actually began corralling skaters in 1979 under a different name and stewardship of David Miles Jr.
He beamed on Sunday when Mayor London Breed presented a special commendation for his near half-century of community effort. Fun celebrations ensued, but then Skate Week ended a little early under suspicious circumstances.
Read the latest by Courtney Muro
What we’re doing this week
Flower Power Gala
In its 20th year, the Flower Power Gala is raising funds for The Salvation Army’s homeless initiative, The Way Out, which coordinates the Army’s San Francisco programs into a Recovery System of Care (RSC). Services include withdrawal management and stabilization, residential drug treatment, recovery-focused transitional housing, extended transitional living, career development, and an alumni support network.
After party’s $85 and the dinner tickets begin at $300. We’ve been to SF Design Center many moons ago and thought it was a pretty space.
WHEN: August 2, 2024 from 6 to 11 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco Design Center Galleria
101 Henry Adams St., San Francisco, CA
LoveFest SF free block party
Love Fest SF is a community arts and music event is taking place for the first time in San Francisco’s Tenderloin Neighborhood; Experience an all day free music and arts festival with 3 stages spanning 2 blocks on Larkin Street between Eddy and O’Farrell from 11am-6pm featuring local DJs and artists in direct support of small businesses and love for the TL. The only thing to break a doom loop is a road block party made from love.
WHEN: August 3, 2024 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: 730 Larkin St., San Francisco
Ballet22 at ODC Theater
Ballet22 exists to push the boundaries of what is possible in ballet by focusing on producing works that break gender normative traditions, specifically by presenting mxn and non-binary dancers en pointe. Ballet22 focuses on commissioning works that bring LGBTQIA+ experiences and representation to the ballet stage. They’re putting on some shows in Mission in early August that they encouraged us to share. Here’s a preview video.
WHEN: August 9th and 10th at 8 p.m., and August 11th at 2 p.m.
WHERE: ODC Theater, 3153 17th St.
SF punk fashion & photography opening event
The Haight Street Art Center will showcase Punk Majesty—an eco-conscious DIY punk brand by local artist and designer Alisha Amnesia—alongside its upcoming exhibit, We Are The One: San Francisco Punk, 1970s – 1980s. An opening party takes place August 2nd.
Punk Majesty’s hand-painted and embellished upcycled clothing pieces will be displayed alongside iconic punk photography and memorabilia, celebrating the brand’s roots in punk culture, with a capsule collection for sale during the exhibit.
WHEN: The exhibit runs July 25 to Sept 22, 2024. An opening party is on August 2nd.
WHERE: 215 Haight St., San Francisco, CA
What’s on our mind
We keep content mostly fun and light at The Bold Italic, but the future of the Bay Area interests us, too. Here’s what we are thinking about in local news. Brought to you by GrowSF.
One crew, 13,000 blocks: SF's sidewalk repair crisis
SF's sidewalks are in disrepair, and with just one crew in charge of all 13,000 blocks of the city, they just can't keep up with the required maintenance.
Many people who fall on these damaged sidewalks sue the city, resulting in significant payouts; San Francisco settled 129 claims in the past five years, paying residents more than $3.8 million. The backlog of repairs and incoming requests may continue to grow without more hands to fix this problem.
Our poll shows over 90 percent of San Franciscans walk regularly, and 44 percent want to walk more. The solution is obvious: Let's hire more crews and fix the sidewalks!
Donate to The Bold Italic today
The Bold Italic publishes first-person stories on topics that are on the brains and lips of San Franciscans. We’re a hub for conversations to be heard and discussed, and we celebrate all that’s great about living in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We hope our continuing conversation will get you thinking, talking, and inspiring you to share your opinions with us on living in San Francisco.
You can help us celebrate our home by making a tax-deductible donation through our Flipcause page. We can also take stock, and Donor Advised Fund donations. We are partnered with Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)(3).
The Bold Italic is brought to you by GrowSF and edited by Saul Sugarman. Send us a pitch, a question, comment, or advertise with us: info@thebolditalic.com