# Event Details - **Event Name**: Neon Comes Out: San Francisco's Gay Bar Signs - **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 08:00 pm - **Event Description**: An illuminating talk on the SF gay bars going above ground with neon!About this EventGay bars were often hidden, unmarked enclaves for only those in the know. Often veiled behind tinted glass, with narrow entrances to allow doormen to screen patrons, they needed to hide the goings-on within from the general public, and the police, as a matter of survival. In the late 1960s they started coming out of the dark, announcing themselves with neon signs. These photographs, chiefly by Henri Leleu (from the GLBT Historical Society Archives) capture a dawning of San Francisco's gay bars and clubs, circa 1960s-1970s.Doors open at 6:30 pm, "Beacons" exhibit on view in gallery space.Presented by Jim Van Buskirk with Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan of SF Neon.Jim Van Buskirk was the founding Program Manager of the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the San Francisco Public Library, and co-authored Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the SFBA and Celluloid San Francisco.Arrive early to view Nathanthiel Bice's painting exhibition "Beacons" at this gallery venue. In this exhibtion Bice shifts to large-scale studio works that spotlight the neon signage and iconic queer spaces that define the city’s nighttime landscape. Rendered with high contrast, saturated color, and dramatic perspective, the works in BEACONS celebrate both the craftsmanship of handmade neon and the cultural weight these sites carry.Timed with the reopening of the Castro Theater, the exhibition engages questions of visibility, preservation, and the precarity of long-standing neighborhood spaces.Banner photo: Al Barna, Twin Peaks Tavern. Photo below: Randall Homan, Lexington Club. https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/31248390-f1d5-11f0-b926-776f0d719f77-rimg-w1200-h676-dc2d3131-gmir.jpg Photos below from the Henri Leleu collection, GLBT Historical Society Archives. https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/3c980850-f1d5-11f0-b926-776f0d719f77-rimg-w740-h740-dc030202-gmir.jpg https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events9/banners/3ce2a5e0-f1d5-11f0-b926-776f0d719f77-rimg-w746-h740-dc171515-gmir.jpg https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/42339450-f1d5-11f0-b926-776f0d719f77-rimg-w555-h740-dca3ada5-gmir.jpg - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/san-francisco/neon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs/100001980313428774 - **Event Categories**: art, exhibitions, fine-arts, theatre, performances, entertainment - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour - Location: Queer Arts Featured - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket URL**: https://consumer.pxf.io/c/1339408/3151484/39691?partnerpropertyid=1191892&MediaPartnerPropertyId=1191892&svlink=14105511&level=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fe%2Fneon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs-registration-1980313428774 - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 7.18, max: 12.51, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: San Francisco - **state**: CA - **country**: United States - **location**: Queer Arts Featured - **lat**: 37.7597602 - **long**: -122.4346696 - **full address**: Queer Arts Featured, 575 Castro Street, San Francisco, United States ## Event Organizer details - **affiliate_id**: 10 - **organizer**: San Francisco Neon (https://allevents.in/org/san-francisco-neon/22513151) ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: banner - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/6c959438e153194f9b7de9fd82a99e7b412f3c1f4c20db21c87725f0217aef1a-rimg-w1200-h803-dc121013-gmir.jpg?v=1768456954 - **Alt text**: thumbnail - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/9ee3e09c2e613c38ed868db3e9e062b43cbde1111c94b409a85c1975e384144d-rimg-w400-h400-dc1b4274-gmir.jpg?v=1768456940 ## FAQs - **Q**: When is the event happening? - **A:** Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm - **Q**: Where is the event happening? - **A:** Queer Arts Featured, 575 Castro Street, San Francisco, United States - **Q**: What is the ticket price? - **A:** starting from 7.18 up to 12.51 USD - **Q**: Who is organizing the event? - **A:** San Francisco Neon - **Q**: What type of event is this? - **A:** art, exhibitions, fine-arts, theatre, performances, entertainment - **Q**: What is the duration of the event? - **A:** 1 hour - **Q**: What is the location of the event? - **A:** Queer Arts Featured - **Q**: What is the languages of the event? - **A:** English - **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about Neon Comes Out: San Francisco's Gay Bar Signs ? - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Neon Comes Out: San Francisco's Gay Bar Signs", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/6c959438e153194f9b7de9fd82a99e7b412f3c1f4c20db21c87725f0217aef1a-rimg-w1200-h803-dc121013-gmir.jpg?v=1768456954", "startDate": "2026-02-26", "endDate": "2026-02-26", "url": "https://allevents.in/san-francisco/neon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs/100001980313428774", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Queer Arts Featured", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "575 Castro Street", "postalCode": "94114", "addressLocality": "San Francisco", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "37.7597602", "longitude": "-122.4346696" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "An illuminating talk on the SF gay bars going above ground with neon!", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-05", "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-26", "validFrom": "2026-04-05", "lowPrice": "7.18", "highPrice": "12.51", "price": "7.18", "url": "https://allevents.in/san-francisco/neon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs/100001980313428774" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-05", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-05", "url": "https://allevents.in/san-francisco/neon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs/100001980313428774", "price": "12.51", "name": "Regular Ticket" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-05", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-05", "url": "https://allevents.in/san-francisco/neon-comes-out-san-franciscos-gay-bar-signs/100001980313428774", "price": "7.18", "name": "Discout Ticket: Students/Seniors/Educators" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "San Francisco Neon", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/san-francisco-neon/22513151", "description": "San Francisco Neon: talks, tours, books, prints, and consultations on neon sign projects. SF Neon isa tiny not-for-profit organization under the sponsorship of theTenderloin Museum. Weadvocate and educate about the artistic legacy of historic neon signs as a legacy archive of art, craft, culture,and thesmall business fabric of the city.Founders Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan are the authors/photographers of the two books:Saving NeonandSan Francisco Neon: Survivors and Lost Icons." } ] } ] ```