** PRESS RELEASE **
A FALL FULL OF OPEN STREETS KICKS OFF WITH SUNDAY STREETS SOMA ON AUGUST 21ST
Join the movement with Sunday Streets SoMa and the citywide Second Annual Sunday Streets Phoenix Day on October 16th
Sunday, August 21, 2022, 11 AM – 4 PM
San Francisco, CA — As the future of San Francisco’s street transformation programs is being deliberated this fall, Livable City and the Sunday Streets program are inviting tens of thousands of diverse San Franciscans to co-create the experience of transforming their streets as places to celebrate and care for their communities together.
“Sunday Streets gives every San Franciscan, every City agency, every small business, every community member a way to imagine a future with fewer cars that is joyous.” says SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin, “Car-free spaces can be reflective of diverse communities, their needs, and their culture. We need to give those community members the space to dream and the tools to see what is possible — that’s exactly what Sunday Streets does.”
To kick off the fall open streets events, Sunday Streets SF returns to the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood on August 21st, from 11 AM to 4 PM, with the longest route of the season. Residents and visitors are invited to visit Folsom Street between Beale and 9th Street to experience one of the City’s streets with the highest traffic volume into a car-free community space for kids to play, seniors to stroll, and neighbors to reconnect. Highlights include the East Cut Community Benefit District (“CBD”) Hub featuring live music and a community dog show, Yerba Buena CBD’s family discovery zone and hula hoop contest, and SoMa West’s Hub with block parties between 6th and 9th Street hosted by SoMa Pilipinas, Livable City, and the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District featuring live music, free health screenings and vaccines, bike repair, and giveaways. For a full list of activities, visit SundayStreetsSF.com/SoMa.
The 2022 Season has one more event in Western Addition on September 18th and will close out with the Second Annual Sunday Streets Phoenix Day citywide block parties, Family Fun Hubs, and Sidewalk Sales on October 16th, from 12 PM to 5 PM. Community groups across San Francisco are eagerly registering by September 1st at midnight to rise together and celebrate as one city. To find out how to participate or register your neighbors, visit SundayStreetsSF.com/PhoenixDay.
Sunday Streets SoMa is made possible by the kind contribution of the following programming partners: the East Cut CBD, Filipino Community Center, LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, SF Parks Alliance, SoMa Pilipinas, SoMa West CBD, SOMCAN, and Yerba Buena CBD.
The Sunday Streets SF program is generously supported by the City family, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) as the presenting agency sponsor. The 2022 SeasonSponsors include: the San Francisco Department of Public Health Community Health & Equity Promotion, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and Spare the Air, SF Human Rights Commission, Bay Wheels, Wu Yee Children’s Services, SF Public Works, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, SF Department of Recreation and Parks, UCSF, Niantic Labs, and iHeartMedia. Corporate exhibitors include Comcast/Xfinity and McGee Air Services.
Calendar editors, please note:
WHAT:
Sunday Streets SoMa is a 1.5-mile-long car-free block party celebration of free and outdoor fun for the whole family, featuring the SoMa West, Yerba Buena, and the East Cut CBDs, and block parties hosted by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, SoMa Pilipinas, and Livable City. Activity highlights include SF Rec & Parks’ free rock-climbing wall, SF Bike Coalition bike repair, SFDPH COVID-19 vaccines, live music, local makers and vendors, and free health, job, and education resources for all.
WHERE:
San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa): Folsom Street between Beale and 9th Street. For more event information, map, and day-of activity guide, visit SundayStreetsSF.com/SoMa.
WHEN:
Sunday, August 21, 2022, 11 AM to 4 PM
ADMISSION:
Free and open to the public
INFO:
For additional information on Sunday Streets SF, please visit SundayStreetsSF.com
PLEASE NOTE:
There will be limited parking throughout the neighborhood’s vicinity during Sunday Streets. Public transportation, biking, and walking are encouraged. Sunday Streets is a smoke-free event.
ABOUT SUNDAY STREETS SF:
Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from San Francisco Public Works, Department Recreation & Parks, Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
ABOUT LIVABLE CITY:
Livable City is dedicated to increasing affordable housing, improving transportation, land use, open space, environmental policies, and supporting grassroots initiatives to make San Francisco a safer, healthier, and more accessible city. For more information on Livable City, visit LivableCity.org.
INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT DETAILS
ACCOUNT: Sunday Streets SF (@sundaystreets)
1. Introduction, organization affiliation, and a description of your activity
2. What are you most excited to do today at SoMa Sunday Streets?
TALKING POINTS:
- Sunday Streets has served as the backbone of emergency response during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support the City and its people to get back and move forward. In 2021, Sunday Streets produced block-scale street closures to offer COVID-19 resources and community programming in the City’s most impacted neighborhoods, providing a much-needed and safe venue to support social and emotional recovery and harness collective preparedness with health resources and strategies to respond to major stressor events.
- Sunday Streets is a civic institution that works with and uplifts communities, small businesses, and City partners to honor the diversity and resilience of the city we love and facilitates civic engagement and pride through hands-on participation and giving. With 85% of attendees from San Francisco and 51% living within walking distance of the event route, Sunday Streets is built for and by SF residents to celebrate each other.
- Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with SFMTA, the SF Department of Public Health, and the City and County of San Francisco. Since the program launched in 2008, Sunday Streets has opened miles of street spaces with free activities and programming in neighborhoods most lacking accessible open space and free recreational opportunities. Sunday Streets empowers local communities to transform car-congested streets into community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, organizations to connect, and neighbors to meet.
Sunday Streets SoMa Activity Round-Up
- East Cut Community Benefit District Hub featuring live music from Bay Area Jazz Mobile, Rincon Hill Dog Park dog show, and SF Rock Project at The Clancy
- Yerba Buena CBD’s family discovery zone and hula hoop contest, including Eagle Club Indoor Golf and kids activities hosted by the Children’s Creativity Museum, Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center, and the Exploratorium
- SoMa West’s Hub with block parties between 6th and 9th St hosted by SoMa Pilipinas, Livable City, and the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District featuring live music from Manilatown Heritage Foundation, free health screenings and vaccines from SFDPH, Bay Area Cancer Connections, AGUILAS/Alliance Health Project, and SFSU Nursing Students Association, and giveaways
- Other activities include: Free rock-climbing wall by SF Recreation and Parks Mobile Recreation Program, free bike rentals by Bay Wheels, SF Bike Coalition & SFMTA Freedom from Training Wheels kids bike lessons and free bike repair, SF Human Rights Commission all-day chalk and hula hoop zone, and free health, job, and education resources for the whole family
- Marketplace featuring local makers and outdoor dining throughout the route
- Visit SundayStreetsSF.com/SoMa for a map of destinations and event details
