No app required. No $47 ticket. No nonprofit middleman taking a cut. Just you, some driftwood, a hoodie you'll definitely need by 8 p.m., and the Pacific Ocean doing its thing.

The Memorial Day bonfire tradition at Ocean Beach is one of the last genuinely democratic public experiences in San Francisco. Families, college kids, tourists who tragically underdressed for a "California beach," and longtime residents who remember when the Sunset was affordable — they all show up, claim a fire ring, and enjoy an evening that costs essentially nothing.

And that's worth celebrating, because this city has a habit of making simple pleasures complicated. We live in a town where a food truck needs roughly the same paperwork as a defense contractor, where a parklet permit can take longer than the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, and where "free community event" usually means "taxpayer-funded community event that cost $200K to produce."

Ocean Beach bonfires are the opposite of all that. The National Park Service maintains the fire rings. People show up. People clean up — mostly. It works.

Now, a quick PSA for the uninitiated: The fire rings are first-come, first-served and they fill up fast on holiday weekends. Get there early. Bring layers. The fog doesn't care about your Memorial Day plans. And for the love of all that is decent, pack out your trash. The beach isn't your living room — although given SF rents, your living room might actually be smaller.

This Memorial Day, skip the overpriced brunch and head to the beach. Honor the holiday. Enjoy the fire. Remember that not everything in this city needs to be disrupted, optimized, or run through a bureaucratic gauntlet.

Some things just work. Let's keep it that way.