Golden Gate Park’s Lighted Forest is Back for 2023

San Francisco’s popular “Entwined” Lighted Forest in Golden Gate is back* from December 7, 2023 – April 28, 2024.

*Pending permit approval, of course! The Entwined installation is still pending approval. It was reviewed at Wednesday’s Visual Arts Committee meeting, and next will be up for final approval at an upcoming Full Commission meeting on December 4.

Entwined’s forest of illuminated color has lit up Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park every winter since 2020, immersing park visitors in a realm of art, technology, and nature. In 2023, the installation is returning as Entwined: Elder Mother, a new iteration of the art installation that features a monumental shade-bearing tree that moves in the wind.

Entwined Meadow’s dazzling forest of light first welcomed parkgoers as a safe and joyful outdoor destination in 2020 and quickly became an iconic attraction for Bay Area residents and tourists alike. This immersive experience was designed specifically for Peacock Meadow by San Francisco artist Charles Gadeken.

Unlike in past years, where the art installation has taken over Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park, this year, Entwined: Elder Mother will welcome visitors to JFK Promenade in front of Peacock Meadow from December 7, 2023 through April 28, 2024. The ever-evolving forest of light first lit up Peacock Meadow in 2020 and has become a winter staple at the park.

The defining new feature of Entwined: Elder Mother is the Elder Mother tree itself. Elder Mother is a monumental shade-bearing tree that moves in the wind and speaks through the language of light and color. The 30-ft metal sculpted tree carries a 25-ft canopy offering a place for park-goers to gather day and night with ever-changing, interactive illumination and color. Entwined: Elder Mother was designed by San Francisco artist Charles Gadeken, who champions accessibility to art and interactive experiences and whose work includes commissions from Burning Man, Insomniac Events, Coachella, the City of Palo Alto, the City of San Francisco and many more.

“Please join us for the next evolution of Entwined, sit in the shade of Elder Mother, and listen to a fairytale or two. Come out and enjoy the parts of the sculpture that you loved in the past, and explore our new creation and the secrets that it holds,“ said Charles Gadeken. Entwined: Elder Mother will have 6 unique QR codes across the installation that allow attendees to control the lighting patterns of various sculptures. Occasionally, access to Elder Mother’s interactivity will be available, which allows attendees to engage with RFID tag readers to change Elder Mother’s lighting patterns. The interactivity of the sculptures has been a favored feature of Entwined in past years. “Entwined: Elder Mother does what all public art aspires to do, which is to evoke emotion and wonder,” said SF Parks Alliance CEO Drew Becher.

“Entwined adds a few new wrinkles every year, and this is one of the biggest yet.” Monthly live programming will again be hosted at the installation this season. These events kick off with the holiday tree lighting ceremony on December 7 at McLaren Lodge. More events will be announced on a rolling basis. “The JFK Promenade has become a place for connection, creativity and community and we are beyond thrilled that Entwined: Elder Mother will welcome visitors to the fun,” SF Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg said. “Entwined is among the most popular installations both for its interactivity and its whimsy.” About San Francisco Parks Alliance SF Parks Alliance is San Francisco’s only citywide park

Entwined Meadow is an installation by Charles Gadeken created at The Box Shop, a collaborative industrial arts maker space and affordable studios in Bayview-Hunters Point in San Francisco. The project is made possible through a partnership between San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department and the San Francisco Parks Alliance, originally installed in 2020 for the Park’s 150th Anniversary.

Creating Entwined Meadow: The installation involves many to make the project possible, the artist, engineers, programmers, designers, volunteers, and more. And it requires the right tools, equipment, and space to fabricate and build. The artwork was made locally at The Box Shop in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco.