April 25th, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
**PRESS RELEASE**
Car-Free Streets Touches Down In The Tenderloin
This Sunday At First Of Two Sunday Streets Tenderloins
San Francisco — Sunday Streets continues to celebrate community-making in the streets this Sunday with the first of this season’s two Tenderloin events to be held on April 30th, 11am-4pm. With a mile of streets slated for car-free transformation, 72 degree weather, and dozens of free activities including It’s Your District roaming 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love Fest, this Sunday is the perfect day to head to the heart of San Francisco for Sunday Streets Tenderloin!
While many might guess that the Tenderloin has the least amount of open space per resident, few know that it also has one of the highest percentage of school-aged children out of any neighborhood in the city. This is why Sunday Streets will be bringing two family-focused open street recreational events to the Tenderloin this year. “As a resident of the Tenderloin, I have first hand experience of the transformation that takes place at Sunday Streets Tenderloin,” says Matt Haney, current Commissioner and former President of the San Francisco School Board. “Everybody is talking with each other, kids are playing care-free, visitors are exploring – it really brings out the best in everyone. This is so important for this community in particular, as it is severely underserved with open and recreational space.”
Sunday Streets is excited to offer an Explore Local Guide for Tenderloin through the Invest in Neighborhoods program of The Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development to help residents and visitors discover the area’s hidden gems. Sunday Streets collaborated with several Tenderloin-based organizations to curate the Explore Local Guide, including UC Hastings’ Demonstration Gardens who helped compile the locations of the much needed gardens and outdoor spaces in the neighborhood. Participants can pick up a guide at the Sunday Streets info booth and head out to explore this rich historical and cultural district during 5 hours of car-free fun. With details about the Farmers’ Markets to healthy corner stores, the thriving Theater
District that includes the recently restored Curran Theater and the new home of CounterPulse, to the first ever proposed Trans Cultural District in the world, the Explore Local Guide is your perfect companion for an urban adventure in the heart of San Francisco
In addition to the neighborhood destinations, Sunday Streets participants can enjoy dozens of free activities offered in one of the 4 activities hubs slated for Tenderloin on April 30th. With a destination on every street, attendees should plan on a full day of exploration to take in the action at the following hubs:
Civic Center Hub located on Larkin between McAllister and Fulton Street will feature an array of large-scale street games. Highlights include the popular Mobile Rec program of the Department of Rec & Park with a rock-climbing wall and pop-up skate park with free equipment rentals, FREE bike rentals from bike sharing start-up Bluegogo, Giant Chess with RNDM DJ, and our neighbors at the Asian Art Museum and San Francisco Public Library Main Branch.
Ellis Street Hub located on Ellis between Jones and Hyde Street will feature It’s Your District’s 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love roaming block party. Highlights include live music by Scott Guberman and the Blue Bear School of Music All Star Youth Band, dance performances by Counterpulse, a community pop-up park hosted by Haight Free Love, and performance artist Toni Tone’s Giant Puppets Save the World installation. It’s your District will be joining forces with community institutions including Glide’s Family Resource Center, Tenderloin Museum, TLCBD, La Voz Latina, Y-Bike, and Tenderloin National Forest to bring art and community to Ellis Street. Participants looking to plug into local government and community organizing can find info in the Civic Engagement Portal located next the Arts and Culture Connection. Folks of all ages can even practice their sign-making skills with TL Solidarity – a group of residents and community-based organizations that formed to counter the anti-immigrant and hate sentiment coming down from the new executive administration – who is hosting a May Day Prep Craft Party at the corner of Ellis and Leavenworth.
Golden Gate Ave Hub located on Golden Gate between Larkin and Jones will be packed with 4 theme zones: Livability Pavilion, Kids and Youth Park, Health & Fitness Track and The Bike Rack. Highlights include free blood pressure screening, an interactive protected bike lane demonstration by SFMTA’s Livable Street’s Division as well as a scavenger hunt on 60-foot Muni bus, live music at Demonstration Gardens at UC Hastings, kids arts and crafts, giveaways and more.
Larkin Street Picnic Grounds located on Larkin Street between Eddy and Ellis Street in the heart of Little Saigon, will offer communal outdoor seating for attendees looking to chow down on food from one of the many local lunch spots. The Picnic Grounds will also feature live music by California Bluegrass Association and the acclaimed one-man-band Brian Belknap visiting from New Orleans.
For a full list of activities, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com
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.
Supporting Sponsors
Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Capital One, Sutter Health CPMC, SF Public Utilities Commission, Zendesk
Non-profit & Small Business Sponsors:
Huckleberry Youth Services, Wu Yee Children’s Services, Farm Fresh to You, Imperfect Produce, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, VehicleSF, Spine Pain Relief
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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