Annual “Running of the Bison”

Visitors to Golden Gate Park are often astounded to stumble upon a herd of American bison browsing in a meadow in the park’s western end, but these huge, shaggy Great Plains denizens have been a beloved institution since 1892.

And on one day a year, the Bison get let out of their pen to make the trip downtown for the annual “Running of the Bison” down Market Street with 1,000 San Franciscans running alongside. [See photos from 2013]

Always the first Tuesday in April, the Bison make the long trip from Golden Gate Park to the Ferry Building and march to Civic Center for the annual “Full of Bull” Festival which has free admission as long as you show one bison patty at the entrance, which proves you helped keep the city’s streets clean.

14th Annual Running of the Bison
First Tuesday in April | 1pm
Ferry Building to Civic Center, SF
FREE to watch, but you must sign a waiver to run alongside the Bison

Funcheap tip: Watch out for steaming bull crap