FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mary Strope, Communications Manager
O (415) 344-0489
[email protected]
**PRESS RELEASE**
Undiscovered Night Market Brings Island Vibes to Sunday Streets SoMa on August 18 and Honors Local Hero and Olympian Victoria Manalo Draves
San Francisco – For the second year, nonprofit Livable City is partnering with UNDISCOVERED SF Creative Night Market to bring third-wave Filipino food, live music, vendors and art to Sunday Streets SoMa on August 18 from 11am- 4pm. UNDISCOVERED will take over Folsom from 6th to 7th Street, transforming a street usually filled with car traffic into an open space with activities, performance and a celebration of the neighborhood’s Filipino community.
Though open streets program Sunday Streets does not typically host vendors, the partnership between the two community-focused organizations was a natural fit, as Livable City supports UNDISCOVERED SF’s strategy to build a thriving new commercial corridor in the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district by 2020.
“After the huge success of last year’s Sunday Street’s SoMa debut and partnership, Livable City is so excited to welcome back UNDISCOVERED SF to take over the streets to further the visibility of the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District,” said Livable City Associate Director Katy Birnbaum.
UNDISCOVERED SF is a nonprofit venture designed to jump-start economic activity and public awareness of SOMA Pilipinas, a historic and living cultural heritage district with ongoing new generations of migrant workers and immigrant families forming the lifeblood of the South of Market.
The struggle to make home, celebrate culture, build community and fight for economic and social justice is the story and inspiration of SOMA Pilipinas, who represents a diverse selection of service groups, small businesses and parks that have served the neighborhood’s thriving Filipino community for decades.
After the Filipino community’s recent City Hall win to keep Victoria Manalo Draves (VMD) park a sunny public space unshadowed by development, SOMA Pilipinas is celebrating by taking over the park and the streets to celebrate local hero VMD. Draves became the first American woman to win two gold medals in diving, and the first Asian American to win Olympic gold medals. A live painting in honor of VMD, who was from the South of Market neighborhood, will take place during the event.
Headliners on the UNDSCVRD stage at Sunday Streets include veteran Bay Area reggae band ‘Native Elements’, and ‘Dakila’ the first Filipino-American band to sign a major record deal in 1972; the band was born out of the Mission District. Rounding out the music lineup is Oakland-based collective Astig, mixing a tribute to Original Pilipino Music (OPM), while turntablist DJ DonDon will scratch his way to the top with his hip-hop vibes.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to showcase the past, present, and future of Filipino-American talent at Undiscovered SF.” said UNDSCVRD Music Curator Marky Enriquez. “To be able to feature Dakila, who toured with the likes of Malo, Cal Tjader, Jose Feliciano and Cheech and Chong in the 70’s, and a Bay Area staple from the present, like Native Elements, on the same stage is what Undiscovered is all about, and that’s bridging generations.”
Spanning Folsom from Essex to 10th Street, Sunday Streets car-free route connects western SoMa with the Financial District for attendees to reimagine their city streets as accessible, public and car-free spaces for all.
Inspired by the Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, Sunday Streets is a series of free, fun events empowering local communities to transform one to four miles of car-congested streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, organizations to connect and neighbors to meet.
Nonprofit Livable City runs both Sunday Streets and Play Streets, a program empowering neighbors to transform their block into an accessible, car-free open space on a regular basis for children, seniors, and neighbors to enjoy. Both programs are sponsored by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, as well as other City agencies, and Sunday Streets would not be possible without crucial services like Muni bus re-routing or traffic control officers for public safety.
Project experts from SFMTA and Vision Zero will be on hand throughout the season, providing neighborhood residents and visitors direct access to transit planners and ambassadors dedicated to sustainable streets.
Small businesses, residents, nonprofits and local groups bring activities, volunteers and performances to the car-free routes, with each contributing a distinctive character and energy to the day. A local hire program employs San Francisco residents for outreach and event-day support.
Transforming miles of car-dominated City streets into open space is possible through the collaboration and hard work of hundreds of volunteers, neighbors, nonprofits and small businesses. Donate, exhibit, volunteer or sponsor Sunday Streets in 2019 to be part of a sustainable, greener and more accessible future. For more information, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com.
Sunday Streets 2019 Season Schedule – Upcoming Events August 18 – SoMa
September 8 – Tenderloin 2
September 22 – Western Addition
October 20 – Excelsior 2
The Sunday Streets 2019 season is made possible by the following season sponsors: Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), San Francisco Department of Children, Youth & Their Families (DCYF), Mission Housing Development Corporation, SF Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco Department of Public Works (SFPUC), Genentech, Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), Sutter/CPMC, SF Parks Alliance, iHeartMedia, Skip, Sutter/CPMC, Bay Wheels, and Xfinity/Comcast and event sponsor Clif Kid
About Sunday Streets
Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit 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 London Breed and her offices and the SF Board of Supervisors.
About 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: https://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 511 or go to www.sfgov.org/311.
