SF Botanical Garden 75th Anniversay

2015 marks 75 years since San Francisco Botanical Garden opened to the public as a place of beauty, learning and inspiration. To honor this anniversary, they’ve designed a day just for you. Enjoy free admission for all – normally $7 for non-SF adult residents.

The celebration features family activities, giant puppets and a sing-a-long, a variety of docent-led walking tours; a special stage featuring world music and dance performances reflecting the global nature of the collection, a photo booth and more. Visitors can also purchase picnicking supplies at food trucks from Off the Grid, and beverages of all kinds will be available for purchase.

SF Botanical Garden 75th Anniversary Community Day
Sunday, May 31, 2015 | 10 am to 5 pm
SF Botanical Garden, Ninth Ave. at Lincoln Way
FREE

Ongoing Activities (11 am to 5 pm)

• Nature Activities – Great Meadow East – Enjoy nature crafts and activities for all ages
• Library Used Book Sale – Library Terrace – Find the perfect addition to your gardening library
• Interpretation Stations – These engaging stations are opportunities for all ages to learn about the Garden’s collections
• Roving Docents – Throughout the Garden – Look for the Docent badges for answers to your Garden-related questions
• Tea Rituals – Fragrance Garden – Experience the beauty and fragrance of healing herbs
• Community Partner Presentations – Great Meadow – Learn how to best arrange your flowers or the art of juice preservation among other mini demonstrations with local partners who will share their tips and techniques
• Photo Booth – Base of Heidelberg Hill – Capture a fun moment with friends & family
• Beverage Area Opens – Fountain Plaza – Enjoy local beer, wine or specialty botanical cocktails

Scheduled Activities

• 10–11 am: Reflective Hour
  • Guided Walking Meditation Tour – McBean Fowl Lake
  • Bird Walk – Information Station near Main Gate
  • Yoga Class – Zellerbach Garden – All levels welcome, led by Jane Austin and Matt Champeux of Yoga Tree
• 11:15 am to noon: Australian Garden Tour – Meet at the Tour Meet-Up Location
• 11:20 am: Welcome by KALW Host – Ashleyann Krigbaum – Great Meadow Stage
• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm: Nature Sing-A-Long with Toni Mikulka – Puppeteer, storyteller and singer Toni Mikulka kicks off the day’s performances with a sing-a-long for nature lovers of all ages. – Great Meadow Stage
• 12:15–12:30 pm: Opening Remarks – Great Meadow Stage
• 12:15–12:45 pm: Family Garden Tour – Meet at Main Gate Information Station
• 12:30–1:15 pm: Xitlalli Danza Azteca, Traditional Ceremonial Ritual – Xitlalli Danza Azteca blends music, choreography, spoken word and theater through La Danza Azteca, a modern mystic folk dance tradition of Central Mexico based on the cultural legacy of the “Aztecs,” their enemies and their descendants. – Great Meadow Stage
• 1:15–2 pm: MesoAmerican Cloud Forest Garden Tour – Meet at Main Gate Information Station
• 1:30–2:15 pm: China Dance Theatre Chinese Ethnic Dance Troupe – Enjoy a new and innovative performance by China Dance Theatre’s young students, featuring the rich and colorful heritage of Chinese classical, ethnic and folk dance. – Great Meadow Stage
• 2:15–2:45 pm: Family Garden Tour – Meet at Main Gate Information Station
• 2:30–3:15 pm: Batsumi, South African Dance Group – The well-known South African dance Gumboots is front and center, demonstrated by San Francisco-based South African Moeketsi Gibe. – Great Meadow Stage
• 3:15–4 pm: South African Garden Tour – Main Gate Information Station
• 3:30–4:15 pm: Grupo Samba Rio, Brazilian Carnaval – It’s a festive finish, as Grupo Samba Rio offers a Brazilian Carnavale performance, bringing authentic samba from Rio de Janeiro to the Great Meadow – Great Meadow Stage
• 4:15 pm: Closing Remarks – Great Meadow Stage
• 4:15–5 pm: Nature Reading – Redwood Grove – Delight in old and new writings about nature led by SF writers Bruce Snider, Rachel Levin, and James Nestor

Photo Credit: Andrew Steinmetz