A couple of years ago, it felt like Upper Haight wasn’t doing so well, with the closures of establishments like Club Deluxe, Hobson’s Choice, Trax, and Milk Bar. But recently it feels like the area has some new energy. The DeLuxe is back up and running with live music, The Green Heron (which replaced Hobson’s Choice) is serving up great craft beers and cocktails, Mary’s on Haight has stepped up in place of Trax, and local bands and comedians are performing at O’Reilly’s Pub.

Down the block, The Mellow (a former plant store) just started Mellow Nights, an evening of live jazz and soul music. And right at the corner of Haight and Ashbury, KEXP was just asked to explore transforming the Doolan-Larson building into a music and community center, with a live broadcast studio and a rooftop performance space.

This past weekend I went to Haight Street for the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, and though it was foggier than expected, it was lively, with young neighborhood rock bands, a high-energy skateboard competition, and people packing the bars along the street.

My first stop of the day was the stage at Haight and Masonic, where the event was just getting started. I grabbed a quick coffee at The Mellow and watched a band named Redux kick things off with some rock/shoegaze reminiscent of the '90s band Hum. They closed with a cover of Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive.”

Next up was Knights of Molino, a local punk trio who mentioned growing up just a couple of blocks away on Beulah and Shrader. The drummer was particularly impressive for his ability to sing a fast punk song while drumming like it was no big deal. What was also impressive is they appeared to still be in junior high, but were already singing anti-AI resistance music with references to The Terminator and Skynet.

The street fair wasn’t the only event going on this weekend. Comedy Day was happening just a short walk away in Robin Williams Meadow. From Stanyan, I headed into Golden Gate Park to catch a few laughs. San Franciscans were spread across the meadow on their lawn chairs and blankets, gathering on the grass to enjoy a full day of comedy.

Because the event ran for five hours, it used a relay format featuring eight distinct blocks of comedians, rotating in a new host every half hour or so. I caught the blocks hosted by Warhol Kaufman and Leiroy Abueg, and watched over a dozen comedians take the stage in under an hour. One performer who really caught my attention was Cathy Zhao, who tells jokes about immigrant experiences and defying cultural stereotypes. Offstage, she runs Laugh it Out Hub, a non-profit that uses stand-up comedy and improv workshops to empower teens and promote youth mental health.

When I went back to Haight, the street fair was in full swing, with art vendors, clothing racks, community organizers, and busy food stalls. A crowd had formed along Belvedere Street for the FTC40 Skate Contest, which transformed a street lined with Victorians into a showcase for skateboarders.

Skaters took turns doing their best tricks on the skate ramp, jumping over an old beat up car, and grinding the rail in the middle of the street.

I wrapped up the afternoon at Haight and Ashbury, stepping into the DeLuxe to enjoy a whiskey as The Heeters took the stage. The quartet delivered an intimate set of soul and funk, while the audience gathered around like we were hanging out in the neighborhood’s living room. Everyone seemed grateful that the DeLuxe was back this year, and that Haight Street (at least this past Sunday) was doing just fine.