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2019 Candlelit Labyrinth Night & Festival of Light | Baker Beach

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Friday, November 29, 2019 - 4:51 pm to 7:00 pm | Cost: FREE
Baker Beach | Battery Chamberlin Rd, San Francisco,CA

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Join the 7th Annual Festival of Light and Gratitude. Each year, a small group of friends create a candlelit labyrinth at the northern end of Baker Beach as an offering to the community and a chance to be together in the luminous dark.

Come travel the labyrinth, offer your thanks for lights in the dark, and take a little time for silence and the sound of the waves.

2019 Festival of Light & Gratitude
Friday, November 29, 2019 | 4:51 pm – 7 pm
Baker Beach, San Francisco
Free

Through this alternative to Black Friday, gather to give honor and love to the elders, mentors, teachers, chosen family, friends, communities, and loved ones who lift you up when times are hard and help to find the path when the terrain gets rough. Gather to remember those who we have lost whose warmth still burns bright within. Gather to be together on the edge of the sea, lighting the lamps that will shine through the storm.

Sundown, the official opening of the labyrinth, is at 4:51 pm. It would be lovely if you arrived in time to share the sunset and the opening of the labyrinth,, but the labyrinth will be lit until 7 pm unless park officials or foul weather cause it to close it sooner.

Why a labyrinth made of lights? Because winter is coming, dammit, whether metaphysically or actually, and if we all make some rough attempt to move with grace or thoughtfulness or gratitude or glee though a mystical symbol of the complexity of the universe all on fire with light and beauty, maybe the sun will come back to us one day.

Some 2019 Notes and Guidelines:

  • This is a family friendly event. Please set your intentions accordingly.
  • Please be aware that this is a simple art piece made by a few friends in the sand each year, not a large festival. There is no food, no performances, no vendors, and the bathrooms are far away at the other end of the beach; it’s just a beautiful ring of lanterns in a beautiful public space.
  • Although this half of Baker Beach is clothing-optional, they have found that it can be extra-inspiring to come dressed or draped entirely in a color of your choosing that reflects your intention for your walk through the labyrinth. Please do be aware that there is a possibility that you will see (respectful and perfectly pleasant) naked people, especially if you arrive on the earlier side.
  • The Festival of Light & Gratitude is an open-air, completely free, handmade candlelit labyrinth on a public beach, put together by a few friends as an offering to the community. Follow all the rules of the park service and be respectful of this beautiful location. This would be really sad if you left trash or behaved with rudeness or unkindness, so please bring your best self.

Usually only 200-300 people show up, and if there are significantly more people coming to walk the labyrinth this year, it is likely that folks may need to wait in line. Unfortunately, they cannot make the labyrinth physically larger due to the constraints of the tide, so please be prepared to use your grace, patience, and good humor as you help them navigate a much larger turnout than usual. 

Getting there:

  • There’s usually plenty of parking, but they always recommend using public transit if possible. The 29 Sunset bus runs pretty much straight to the beach until almost midnight, and it is also possible to walk to the beach from the 1 California stop at 25th and California.
  • If you’re coming from the East Bay and generously willing to share your car with other festival-goers, please leave a comment on the Facebook event page with how many spaces you have and when/where you’re leaving from. The beach officially closes at dark.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Art & Museums, Black Friday, Fairs & Festivals
Address: Battery Chamberlin Rd, San Francisco,CA