Folsom Street Fair will be held online this year

FILE - The weather was beautiful for the 36th annual Folsom Street Fair in 2019, which hosted "longtime leather daddies", "rosy-cheeked newcomers", and everyone in between. This year's celebration, along with July's Up Your Alley event, will be held virtually. less FILE - The weather was beautiful for the 36th annual Folsom Street Fair in 2019, which hosted "longtime leather daddies", "rosy-cheeked newcomers", and everyone in between. This year's celebration, along with ... more Photo: Blair Heagerty / SFGate Buy photo Photo: Blair Heagerty / SFGate Image 1 of / 83 Caption Close Folsom Street Fair will be held online this year 1 / 83 Back to Gallery

San Francisco's Folsom Street will be stripped of a significant amount of leather this September.

Organizers announced Monday that the Folsom Street Fair and its so-called "dirty little brother" festival in July, Up Your Alley, will cancel their in-person events this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, joining the roster of large-scale celebrations like San Francisco Pride and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's annual Hunky Jesus Competition as they pivot to a virtual model.

"Because we’ve been discussing this for a while, I’ve personally had the time to grieve this decision and the necessity behind it," Folsom Street Events Interim Executive Director Angel Adeyoha told SFGATE over the phone on Monday morning. "I'm already switching into a space of moving forward to create a needed virtual connection when we’re all experiencing this worldwide situation together."

This would have been the 37th year of the historic festival. The Folsom Street Fair is the third-largest outdoor event in California — an estimated 275,000 people converge on the world's largest leather and fetish fair and its adjacent activities each year. Adeyoha is looking forward to being able to connect it with a global audience in addition to inviting international musicians and DJs to participate.

"I am a bit excited. I know the team is going to make a mind-blowing virtual event and I’m eager to be a part of that," said Adeyoha.

The staff is currently finding creative ways to bring the events' hard-to-find vendors and exhibitors to the screens of virtual attendees, while also providing a space for visibility and interaction among participants. Lastly, they'll be fundraising for Bay Area-based and national charities, where the event's funds go each year.

In 2019, Folsom Street Events donated over $325,000 to these beneficiaries. Adeyoha said the organization also brings in roughly $200 million in tourism each year — a considerable loss for the local economy.

"It is a big blow financially that we all feel, and we’re doing our best to support artists and local nightlife," said Adeyoha. "But one of the ways we’re directly supporting the city is promoting responsible action that supports public health. We have the ability to have a broader audience and base of participation. People won’t have to pay to travel. From a personal standpoint, I see the opportunity to be better global citizens in this crisis and I’m really excited to model that with our events."

Most people have been supportive of the decision, though Folsom Street Events organizers have been receiving some "pretty funny" feedback, too.

"People are asking, 'How is this going to translate into something virtual?' One person said, 'It'll be screenshot city,'" said Adeyoha with a chuckle. "Someone helpfully replied that the people who attend don’t tend to be shy."

All jokes aside, the conversation raised some important concerns for the event staff regarding technology and their guests' protection and privacy. Folsom Street Events will soon release an online poll to gauge the audience, and more information will be shared in the coming weeks on how attendees will be able to safely participate in the events online.

With the success of local virtual events that have already occurred this year, Adeyoha is feeling fairly optimistic.

"People are coming up with really amazing and inspired ways to share their art and presence. We’re excited to learn from the people who are doing that and put our own spin on it."

For updates, sign up for the Folsom Street Events newsletter or follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett