Harvey Milk Day 2022 Celebration + Block Party in The Castro (SF)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Harvey Milk Day 2022 Celebration

It’s been nearly 44 years since Harvey Milk left us too soon. On what would have been his 92nd birthday, San Francisco celebrates the life and legacy of the “Mayor of Castro Street” – the first openly gay politician in California. Starting at 11 a.m. the Castro Theatre hosts free screenings including a restored 35mm print of the Oscar-winning 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk.” Outdoors, things kick off at noon with a tribute by those who knew Harvey best, his friends and colleagues, while at 1 p.m. the festive block party begins which aims to bring music, education, activism, and community back to the streets of the Castro.  

Sunday, May 22, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Jane Warner Plaza, Market and Castro, S.F., Free. milkclub.org

2022 Harvey Milk Day 

11AM – CASTRO THEATER FILM SCREENINGS BEGIN
12 NOON – JANE WARNER PLAZA EVENT KICKOFF
1PM BLOCK PARTY

Free Castro Theater Film Screenings

• 11am – Times of Harvey Milk (free)
• 2pm – The Ruth Brinker Story (free + organ performance)
• 3pm – Double Feature / Times of Harvey Milk + The Ruth Brinker Story (free + organ performance)

As part of Castro’s Harvey Milk Day celebration, The Times of Harvey Milk will return to the same screen which premiered the 1984 Oscar-winning documentary. Castro Theatre will screen The Times of Harvey Milk at 11am followed by The Ruth Brinker Story at 2pm, and a double feature of both works at 3pm. At 6pm, Project Open Hand will host  a special Gala Screening of The Ruth Brinker Storywill take place, including panel discussions and a post-film reception in the Castro Theatre mezzanine.

The screenings of The Times of Harvey Milk and The Ruth Brinker Story afternoon screenings are free and un-ticketed.

Castro organist David Hegarty will play before each show with the exception of the 11am screening.

San Francisco, CA – On Harvey Milk’s 92nd birthday, Sunday, May 22, 2022, the life and legacy of the “Mayor of Castro Street” lives on, as the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Castro Community Benefit District, and the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza kicks off a day of celebration, education, activism, and community.

Programming starts at noon and will be kicked off by those who knew Harvey best – his friends and colleagues, including Kent Denning and Medora Payne Sobottka. They will be joined by queer community and elected officials, who in large part due to trailblazers like Milk, can continue the fight to make the LGBTQ community heard and seen in City Hall and beyond. Following the kickoff, our community block party powered by BAAAHS will bring the beats and festivities back to the streets of Castro – Harvey’s home.

But the day will also be a time for reflection. With the skyrocketing number of anti-LGBTQ bills filed over the past several years, from 41 in 2018 to 238 in just the first three months of 2022, this Harvey Milk Day is a crucial moment to live out the words of Harvey Milk as we face the onslaught of homophobia and transphobia across the country.

As part of Harvey Milk Day, the Castro Theatre will also host a special screening of The Times of Harvey Milk. The restored 35mm film will return to the same screen which premiered the Oscar­-winning documentary in 1984.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.