37 years after the first Up Your Alley Fair — more commonly known simply as “Dore Alley” — was held in SoMa, thousands of people again descended on the intersection of Folsom and Dore streets this past Sunday for the event’s famously sex-positive and kink-friendly atmosphere.

Dore Alley is synonymous with uninhibited fun. Though, with growing concerns about the state of emergency surrounding the monkeypox outbreak in San Francisco, some attendees at the racy street fair were cautious about potentially exposing themselves to the virus, which primarily spreads through skin-to-skin contact. For 29-year-old Connor McKinney, who traveled to the fair from Nashville, this meant covering himself up to mitigate impromptu touches.

"I know it's probably weird to wear a sweater to Dore Alley, but it gives me a little peace of mind," McKinney tells SFist. Having not yet received a monkeypox vaccine, he heeded the Center for Disease Control's advice for avoiding unnecessary skin-to-kin contact.

Nevertheless: Coming off its second consecutive year after a pandemic-spun hiatus, the 2022 Dore Alley continued on in similar fashions to years prior.

Over 40 on-site exhibitors — among which included BEARPAD, a creative arts company that celebrates 'big queer bodies in many forms" and a booth set up entirely for representatives from he Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District — displayed a wide array of goods and services from 11 a.m. until the fair ended at 6 p.m. Sunday evening. Sprinkled throughout the day’s events were the usual bondage and kink performances taking place on the main Steamworks-sponsored stage and on smaller spaces around the festival. At least a half-dozen gogo boys danced their hearts’ out during the seven-hour-long festival that also included DJ sets from LA-based Fawks and others.

Aside from the densely packed dancing areas directly in front of the main stage, the crowd felt noticeably more spaced out this year. As a whole, attendees seemed acutely aware of their personal space; it seemed like more people flanked the spacious areas outside the main stage and exhibitor booths than in previous years.

Amid the latest omicron subvariant BA.5 causing an increase in local COVID-19 infections, a noticeable amount of people in the crowd were wearing face coverings. (Though… I'm not sure how much protection a leather pup mask can offer.)

For arguably San Francisco's most sex-positive event — one even more so than Folsom Street Fair — Dore Alley this year was another example of an SF staple event returning to form, backdropped by a city still finding its footing.

In case you missed Sunday's leather-wrapped fun, here are some of shots from the 2022 Dore Alley festival.