February 7th, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
**PRESS RELEASE**
Sunday Streets Season Kickoff
When Community Building Is Needed Most, San Francisco Takes To The Streets
San Francisco –Sunday Streets kicks off its 9th year on March 12, providing a monthly space where neighbors, small businesses, government agencies and the nonprofit Livable City collaborate to transform car-congested streets into car-free community spaces for all to enjoy. The 2017 season’s eight events will be held between March and October in diverse neighborhoods across San Francisco, featuring more cultural offerings and health and wellness programming than ever before.
“On the eve of our 10 year anniversary, we’ve put a lot of thought into the foundations and future of the program,” said Katy Birnbaum, Sunday Streets Program Director. “We’re more committed than ever to deepening our partnerships and ensuring San Francisco’s diverse communities have a real stake in what Sunday Streets looks like and means in each neighborhood.” Ms. Birnbaum went on to outline this year’s expansions: increased resident engagement, community partnerships, small local business collaborations, and more robust arts and cultural offerings.
One new partnership highlighted by the Program Director is with the Excelsior Action Group (EAG), an organization which has been working to merge the Excelsior Festival with Sunday Streets for several years. An announcement with the details of the partnership will be released later this year.
Additionally, the nonprofit It’s Your District will be collaborating with Sunday Streets to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Summer of Love. It’s Your District will also be sponsoring the Arts and Culture Hub at Sunday Streets 2017, bringing more than a block of unique local art, music and history to each and every Sunday Streets event this season.
Helping to strengthen its programs, Sunday Streets was recently awarded an Invest in Neighborhoods grant from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development for the organization’s ongoing investment in building stronger local communities. Sunday Streets’ and its long-standing City partners – including San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Department of Public Health, The Department of Public Works, and Parks and Recreation – brings opportunities for healthy eating, active living, sustainable transportation, and local economic development to San Francisco in underserved neighborhoods. “We see Sunday Streets as a critical component to improve health outcomes citywide by promoting healthy eating and active living,” says San Francisco Director of Health, Barbara Garcia.
Last November, Sunday Streets closed its 2016 season with a Love and Unity Procession along the Embarcadero, with thousands of San Francisco residents enjoying recreation, community, and open space along the waterfront. In the years to come, it will be ever more important to keep spaces that facilitate joy and empower neighbors to envision a better, more inclusive community. Sunday Streets is such a space – an open, collaborative public place that invites the whole of San Francisco to play and participate – together.
Sunday Streets 2017 Season Schedule
All Sunday Streets events are open and free to the public. Event hours are from 11:00am – 4:00pm.
- Sunday Streets Mission – March 12th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Bayview/Dogpatch – April 9th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Tenderloin – April 30th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Sunset/Golden Gate Park – June 11th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Mission – July 16th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Tenderloin – August 20th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Western Addition – September 10th, 2017
- Sunday Streets Excelsior – October 1st, 2017
For more information about the events, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com.
For exhibitor information, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com/get-involved/exhibitors.
For volunteer information, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com/volunteers.
Essential Program Support
Sunday Streets is a program of Livable City. Livable City is a dynamic urban, land use, policy non-profit working to create a San Francisco of great streets and complete neighborhoods. Livable City promotes a San Francisco where walking, bicycling, and transit are the best choices for most trips, where public spaces are beautiful, well-designed, and well-maintained, and where housing is more plentiful and affordable. The Sunday Streets program relies entirely on support from a diverse group of private sponsors, individual donations, and the City of San Francisco.
City & County of San Francisco:
Sunday Streets is a program of the non-profit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from the Department of Public Works, Recreation & Parks Department, SF Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and his offices and the SF Board of Supervisors.
About Sunday Streets & Livable City
Sunday Streets is a program of the non-profit Livable City. Livable City is dedicated to increasing affordable housing, improving transportation, land use, open space, and environmental policies, and supporting grassroots initiatives to make San Francisco a safer, healthier, and more accessible city. For more information on Livable City, visit: http://www.livablecity.org. For more information about Sunday Streets, including the Sunday Streets event activity guide, visit: www.SundayStreetsSF.com. For information on Muni routes and vehicle access, call 311 or go to www.sfgov.org/311.
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