San Francisco has had a long connection to celebrating Halloween. The Halloween tradition on Castro Street began with the owner of Cliff's Variety, Grandpa Ernie. Cliff's Variety had an amazing window display and held a costume contest on a flat-bed trailer in front of the store for the "Valley" children. As the neighborhood transitioned through the 1970s, the Halloween celebration tradition stayed. You can check out 1970s Halloween in the Castro in Ken Warner's Halloween: A Fantasy in Three Acts.
In the 1960's Halloween was celebrated throughout the City - the only night of the year that drag was acceptable and legal (per the California State Health & Safety Code, a person caught cross-dressing was liable to be arrested). The image here is from a recent donation of Ektachrome slides. The photographer was at the Golden Cask, 1725 Haight Street, on Halloween night, 1966.
The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection collects photographs, slides and all types of visual materials documenting San Francisco life. If you would like to donate visual materials to the San Francisco History Center, please contact the Photo Curator.
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| Halloween, Golden Cask, 1725 Haight Street, 1966 |
The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection collects photographs, slides and all types of visual materials documenting San Francisco life. If you would like to donate visual materials to the San Francisco History Center, please contact the Photo Curator.
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