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SF’s New Epic Rooftop Park Opening Block Party

Get ready for August 11th – Huge grand opening of new Transbay Terminal and 5.4 acre park
By - posted 8/7/2018 No Comment

UPDATE – Salesforce Park is re-opening on July 1, 2019 – Get Full Details

Get ready for SF’s newest rooftop park as well as the grand opening of the new Transbay Terminal (aka “Salesforce Transit Center”). This 5.4-acre urban oasis will be programmed with year-round free activities, a public art program and sits on top of 100,000 square feet of shopping and dining.

Behind the curvature of a pearlescent lace-like awning, this brand new multi-story San Francisco landmark transforms a commuter hub into an urban destination.

With interiors open to the light, it’s a sociable, open space for people to gather, topped by a leafy park where the sky is the roof.

Grand Opening Block Party

Saturday, August 11, 2018 – Noon to 4pm

A free Neighborhood Block Party will be held Saturday, August 11, 2018 from noon to 4 p.m. featuring fun, free activities for Bay Area families including music, fitness classes, games, tours, and performances, as well as exhibits of historic and state of the art buses. This will also be a rare opportunity for you to walk out onto the center’s Cable Stay Bridge; a once in a lifetime opportunity. The event will also include pop-up retail shops, food trucks, and cafes.

  • Rooftop Park – Enjoy free music, arts & crafts, fitness classes, and more activities at the 5.4-acre urban oasis
  • Bus Deck – See where the buses roll out, meet transit operators at the new Salesforce Transit Center
  • Grand Hall – Explore the beautiful skylit interiors, browse pop-up shops for gifts, enjoy music and more

Rooftop Park Activities | Opening Day: Saturday, August 11

  • 12:00-1:00pm | Welcome Performance by West Grand Brass Band | Main Plaza
  • 12:00 -1:30pm | DJ Performance by Cold Cutz Music Club | Amphitheater Stage
  • 12:30-3:00pm | Kids Instrument “Petting Zoo” hosted by Music in Schools Today | Children’s Play Area
  • 1:30-2:15pm | Yoga Class provided by FITNESS SF | Amphitheater Main Lawn
  • 1:30-3:00pm | All Ages DIY Craft: Felt Pennants led by Museum of Craft and Design | Main Plaza
  • 1:30-3:30pm | Redwoods Talk & Touch hosted by Save the Redwoods League | Redwoods Grove (near the Gondola Landing)
  • 2:30-3:00pm | Zumba® Class provided by FITNESS SF | Amphitheater Stage
  • 3:00-3:30pm | Filipino Drumming and Dance Performance by House of Gongs | Main Plaza
  • 3:30-4:00pm | Kids Movement Class led by Epiphany Dance Company | Amphitheater Main Lawn
  • 4:00-5:00pm | Shakespeare Scene Sampler performed by African American Shakespeare Company | Amphitheater Main Lawn

Grand Hall Activities | Opening Day: Saturday, August 11

  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm | DJ Alex Mejia Lighting & Video Show | Ronnie Reddick’s Bay Area Dance Alliance
  • 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Patton Leatha | Ronnie Reddick’s Bay Area Dance Alliance
  • 2:00pm – 2:15pm | DJ Alex Mejia Lighting & Video Show | Bumpn Beto – Conga King
  • 2:15pm – 3:15pm | Danilo y Orquesta Universal | Ronnie Reddick’s Bay Area Dance Alliance
  • 3:15pm – 4:00pm | DJ Alex Mejia | Bumpn Beto – Conga King | Ronnie Reddick’s Bay Area Dance Alliance

Salesforce Tower Gondola – Coming Soon…

One of the most fun ways to get the rooftop park isn’t via a boring old escalator or elevator, but by a brand new downtown gondola system with a 20-passenger glass cabin which will connect the Mission Square (The new plaza of the Salesforce Tower at Mission and Fremont) to the roof-top park. Update – The gondola will NOT be ready for the Grand Opening on August 11th. The gondola was originally scheduled for a Spring 2018 opening, then moved to June and, from what we understand, is still awaiting certification. They are hoping it will be ready prior to Dreamforce (late September 2018) Stay tuned.

Transbay Bus Service Begins

Beginning Sunday, August 12, 2018

On Sunday, August 12th AC Transit will begin inaugural service from Salesforce Transit Center’s Third Level Bus Deck. The following day, all 27 AC Transit Transbay bus lines will transfer operations from the Transbay Temporary Terminal to the new Bus Deck. Other regional transit agencies, including Amtrak, Greyhound, Westcat Lynx and the Muni Treasure Island will also provide service from the Bus Deck. On site rider assistance, maps, and information will be available in advance of the grand opening.

When complete in 2025, Caltrain and high-speed rail will be underground with six tracks – part of a 1.3-mile Downtown Rail Extension that will bring Caltrain from its current terminus at Fourth and King to the transit center. The center will also be the northern terminus for California’s High-Speed Rail system.

Transit Center Grand Opening Symposium

Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects is hosting a symposium on Saturday, August 4, 2018 celebrating the grand opening of the Salesforce Transit Center in the Grand Hall, located at 425 Mission Street. RSVP Required

Sneak Peek Guided Tours

From July 31 to August 3 get a sneak peek of the new Transit Center with a series of free public tours. There are four unique themed tours of the transit center and a 5.4-acre rooftop park, so you’ll have the rare opportunity to experience the new Bay Area transit hub before it opens to the public on Saturday, August 11, 2018. RSVP Required.

RSVP is required. One tour per person. Tickets are non-transferable.

SF’s New 5.4 Acre Rooftop Park

The sustainable building designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects is topped by a 5.4-acre rooftop public park and event space planted with 600 trees and 16,000 plants featuring an amphitheater, gardens, trails, open grass areas, children’s play space, a restaurant and cafe.

How to Get up to the Rooftop Park
Until the Gondola is ready (possibly September 2018), we’re told that there are many escalators and elevators which will take you to the rooftop park. We’re told the best entrances are 1st and Natoma as well as the Grand Hall at 425 Mission at Fremont.

The Central Plaza is the hardscape (glass and stone floor) section in the middle of the transit center, adjacent to the Salesforce Tower bridge.

  • The easiest way to access it by elevator is via the elevators on the south side of 1st St.
  • The easiest way to access it by escalator is from the Grand Hall. Those escalators touch down on the Bus Deck, and if the visitors walk forward to the next group of escalators, those will take them to the Park.
  • Visitors can also access via the Salesforce Tower bridge. They need to take the public elevators, accessed from a lobby on northeast corner of Salesforce Tower (at the corner of the Tower closest to Salesforce Plaza and the Salesforce Transit Center).

Cool Art
Dancing fountains at Salesforce Park are triggered by sensors that respond to the vibrations of the flow of buses on the deck below.

Rooftop Park Hours
Please note that these hours may change. The TJPA is a bit cagey in their wording for the park hours with language like “will close by not later than 9:00pm.” – More information on park hours and rules.

  • Winter (November 1 – April 30) – 6am to 8pm
  • Summer (May 1 – October 31) – 6am to 9pm

Other Park Rules

  • No pets (other than guide/signal dogs)
  • No picnic/dance/social gathering of more than 25 people
  • No religious event or parade more than 50 people
  • No concert/performance/fair/circus which has been publicized more than 4 hours in advance – so perhaps this means that ligthly-publicized pop-up events are allowed?
  • No bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc… any “wheeled” conveyence, other than wheelchairs and strollers.

The park, which is just over a quarter mile long, rivals New York’s High Line Park and will feature an array of spaces, including both active and quiet areas featuring both organized events like concerts and fairs, as well as unstructured natural settings in which visitors can relax.

The vibrant plaza which sits at the center of the park will receive the largest influx of visitors from the building’s main escalator and elevator which connect to the ground level.

The park’s western end will feature an amphitheater and stage for programmed performances. Interspersed throughout the park, display gardens which flower and provide visual interest year-round will be planted.

In addition to the botanic displays, open lawn areas will allow visitors to enjoy the park setting. Children will also find places for active and dynamic exploration in the Children’s Play Gardens. These areas will fit seamlessly into the overall park plan, but will contain garden elements and constructions that offer varied perceptions and experiences.