In 1993, a party called Fandango was created, which was an open play party following Lady Thorns "SM Community Exchange" held three times a year. There were a couple of years San Francisco's dungeons had closed and there was a desire to bring Fandango back to San Francisco and keep it there, which meant finding a permanent location to host in. One day, a member of the community told us about a building someone she knew had moved out of and might be interested in letting us use for Fandango. The location: 245 8th Street.

During that time, the idea of “Why not open a permanent community dungeon in SF!" was talked about. Peter Acworth, who owns Hogtied (now known as kink.com), owned the building and had just moved into another space on 5th and Mission St. He was willing to lease the 8th Street location to us and helped us get started.

On December 14, 2003 the SF Citadel officially opened its doors. Things took off very quickly--the concept was a success and we had lots of support from many different groups within the community; coming out every weekend to socialize, play, educate, learn and to just feel good with having a place to call their own, a place where they could be who they wanted to be without judgment.

Since the opening of our doors in 2003, we have had 3 locations and with the help of the community, have been able to keep the doors open and provide a safe space for everyone to learn and play.

Today's SF Citadel plays a major role in the SF Bay Area BDSM community, as we are now world-renowned for our high-energy parties and themed events, and for our informative workshops featuring many prominent instructors. We warmly welcome everyone regardless of race, creed, color, sexual orientation or gender identification.