The San Francisco Financial District's only LGBTQ bar is now going to be open regularly on some weeknights with a new lineup of programming.
As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Ginger's at 86 Hardie Place had been shuttered since the COVID pandemic struck in March 2020.
Acquired by Future Bars, which owns a number of bars in the area including Nightingale (239 Kearny Street), Rickhouse (246 Kearny Street), and Pagan Idol (375 Bush Street), it was resurrected by Dana Marinelli, a lesbian who had been general manager at Oasis but who started working at the company earlier this year.
After a splashy Pride weekend debut, Ginger's was open for 10 individual events through July and August — including Grace Towers' Downtown First Thursday afterparty — but starting September 4 will be open every Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight and then from 5 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday.
Ginger's was popular for weekday happy hours, as the bar drew office workers from the surrounding downtown concentration of corporate headquarters and financial institutions. But the Financial District is also a neighborhood whose decline has been catapulted to the center of the city's politics as it seeks to revitalize the beleaguered district.
In recent decades, the city's Pacific Stock Exchange — the so-called Wall Street of the West — closed in 2002, and tech firms preferred to set up shop in the newly developed South of Market.
But things really took a downturn in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. The streets, bereft of office workers then working from home, highlighted open-air drug use and sales in the eyes of the public and the media. Combined with issues concerning car break-ins, and organized retail theft, businesses began an exodus.
According to a report from the Institute of Governmental Studies released last year, downtown San Francisco ranked last among 62 North American cities in recovering from the pandemic.
Glitter & be ghoul
Marinelli said that Wednesdays will be dedicated to bingo or karaoke.
"Thursdays I am going to get back to all of the talent shows that Ginger's had before the shutdown," Marinelli said, including Glitter Box with MGM Grande and Landa Lakes.
"I'm beyond thrilled that Ginger's is back, and with it, Glitter Box," Lakes stated to the B.A.R. "Glitter Box has always been a drag family affair and it is going to be an incredible night of fabulous performances with the house of glitter which turns 20 next year, and I can't wait to see everyone there. The energy is going to be electric!"
Marinelli is also making the Downtown First Thursdays afterparty permanent. Downtown First Thursdays is a popular street event south of Market that brings hundreds to listen to DJs, eat meals from food trucks and otherwise enjoy the evening, sponsored by the Civic Joy Fund.
Marinelli was also pleased to announce the return of "Terror Vault Takeover," with Raya Light, Mocha Fapalatte and Natasha Nightmare. The first iteration will be Friday, September 6 with shows at 8 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m.
"The ghouls from Terror Vault are giddy with excitement at being released early to christen the Halloween season at Ginger's SF," Raya Light stated to the B.A.R. "Queer spaces are vital to the rebirth of San Francisco and Ginger's is leading the way. It only makes sense to bridge the iconic Ginger's with the only-in-San Francisco experience that is Terror Vault, whose new immersive horror sci-fi adventure 'Fatal Abduction' runs all through October at the SF Mint."
Marinelli said she's working on boosting awareness of Ginger's for a new generation.
"My goal is to introduce Ginger's to a new audience of younger people who may not have heard of the space," she said, adding that she's hoping to add ever "edgier drag house takeovers."
www.gingers.bar
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!