Badlands San Francisco has always been more than a bar to me. It’s where queer community feels most alive. A nickname I’d used for Badlands for years, Baddies became the name of a pop-up I dreamed up after Becoming, inspired by the community response.
I returned to Castro Night Market, this time partnered with CG Events and Badlands, to elevate the monthly street fair and spotlight one of my favorite local businesses. With the market’s theme set to circus, Baddies took shape as a full themed takeover of Badlands.
Alongside other vendors, I transformed the entrance of Badlands into a custom funhouse booth, a red carpet photo op designed to catch eyes on the street and pull the market crowd inside.
Inside Badlands, the takeover continued with circus decor, themed cocktails, and a live DJ. The space shifted from bar to big top, carrying the energy of the booth inside and keeping the market crowd on the dance floor.
Baddies was more than a party. It’s a framework for how nightlife can be reimagined — how familiar spaces can be reshaped into environments that tell stories, spark participation, and build community.
Photos by Superposition