Brian HoweyNo fireworks, no parties on the beach, no Golden Gate Park light displays. How is a San Franciscan wanting to celebrate the end of this murderous, soul-sucking pandemic year supposed to have any fun?
You could attend any one of numerous live-streamed events, from comedy shows to live music to bell-ringing ceremonies to vaudeville cabaret shows.
Or, for a brief period, there was the opportunity to drop $100 for an in-person, three-course meal complete with burlesque and drag queen show in the Tenderloin. Except that event was canceled, after followers of the bar where it was slated to be held — outdoors — alerted local media (including the Public Press), who pointed out that it would have violated local public health guidelines banning restaurant dining and gatherings during a spike in COVID-19 cases.
But some service industry workers are so hard up for cash they were willing to take the heat. Bar staff and performers who would have worked the party said the event would have provided sorely needed income in the wake of the city’s move to shutter onsite dining and bars.
“Restaurants were doing everything they were asked to do,” said Kimberly Enano, a bar manager at 620 Jones, the venue for the burlesque event. “They followed all the guidelines, did all the things they were asked to do and were told it wasn’t enough. That hurts.”
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