“It’s elemental,” says Cape Cod native Eric Anderson. “There’s fire, water, wind, and sand all in one setting. You’re with friends, the waves are crashing in the dark, and the bonfire’s warmth naturally draws everyone together.”

Tonight’s bonfires seem to bring out the best in the San Franciscans relaxing on a swath of sand west of downtown. Walk past the flickering dots and you find surfers exchanging big-wave stories, anglers trading fish tales, youngsters roasting marshmallows, and teenagers just hanging out around flaming centerpieces.

Eric and his wife, Megan, have gathered their own campfire clan. Many of their friends spent childhoods splashing on the coast, and they share a common love for the sand. “It’s the perfect reason to get together,” says Delaware native Pierre LeComte, arranging wood in a sand pit. “A bonfire is one of those activities you can enjoy no matter what coast you’re from.”

Building a bonfire is easy. Start with a pit dug deep into the sand, build a tepee of dry logs inside the pit, add kindling, and light the kindling to ignite the logs. Once the fire’s roaring, it’s time to huddle around the flames. “It’s like a big party,” says Judy Chen, as she helps 6-year-old David Barajas push marshmallows onto sticks, “even if we aren’t celebrating anything in particular.”

Tonight’s party winds down with Eric recounting his summer on the coast of Costa Rica, where locals celebrated day’s end with a blazing bonfire. “It was a time to relax and kick back. No one was in a rush to leave,” he says. “There’s just something about a fire that makes you stand still for a while.”

ALSO:
• View a slide show of the celebration.
• Learn the basics of beach bonfires.