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POSTPONED: Golden Gate Park’s 150th Anniversary Celebration + Free Ferris Wheel Rides | SF

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Saturday, April 4, 2020 - All Day | Cost: FREE
Golden Gate Park | 1690 John F Kennedy Dr., San Francisco, CA

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Due to coronavirus concerns, this event has been postponed from 4/4 to a later date TBD – Read more.

San Francisco celebrates the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park with a park-wide Community Day with special activities, entertainment, food offerings, and much more.

An illuminated 150-foot observation wheel (free admission on April 2, 2020 – normally $18) boasting sweeping views from the ocean to downtown San Francisco will be among the many attractions being planned.

Golden Gate Park 150th Anniversary Community Day
POSTPONED – April 4, 2020
FREE

Community Day Celebration – April 4, 2020
A celebration throughout the park’s 1,017 acres, will be held on April 4, exactly 150 years after the California Legislature created Golden Gate Park. The day will feature more than 150 free events and activities, including:

  • The opening of an illuminated 150-foot observation wheel;
  • Community arts and musical groups performing in the Music Concourse;
  • A kids’ carnival in the Polo Fields with rides, bounce houses and educational activities;
  • Free programs and activities at the park’s iconic museums, gardens and recreation clubs;
  • A display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt; and
  • A huge picnic in Hellman Hollow with entertainment, food and more.

Other events throughout the year
Golden Gate Park 150 organizers announced several partnerships, programs and activities aimed at bolstering visitors to the park and telling its amazing stories throughout the year, including:

  • Free shuttle services from recreation centers throughout the city so every neighborhood can enjoy Golden Gate Park;
  • Bringing music back to the Music Concourse with community arts and musical groups performing in the bandshell twice a month;
  • Opening a pop-up Visitor Center;
  • Kaiser Permanente Yoga in the Park;
  • Free movie nights;
  • Special Golden Gate Park exhibitions at the San Francisco Library and its neighborhood branches, San Francisco International Airport, Botanical Garden, and the Pioneers Museum in the Presidio, among others.

Golden Gate Park, one of the world’s most iconic parks, turns 150 years old on April 4, 2020. A century-and-a-half ago, park engineer William Hammond Hall and master gardener John McLaren carved out an urban oasis from a vast, windswept expanse of sand dunes.

The result: a verdant, horticulturally diverse and picturesque public park where city residents can relax and reconnect with nature.

Within Golden Gate Park’s 1,017 acres (174 acres larger than New York’s Central Park) are gardens, playgrounds, lakes, picnic groves, trails, monuments, plus an array of cultural venues, events, and activities. The park includes many opportunities for learning including the California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum, Conservatory of Flowers, and San Francisco Botanical Garden.

In addition, JFK Drive is closed to vehicle traffic on certain stretches for park users to walk, run, or roll through the park:
– Saturdays – From April through September, JFK is closed to vehicle traffic from 8th Ave to Transverse Drive
– Sundays and Holidays – JFK is closed to vehicle traffic from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive

Volunteer to help Golden Gate Park
Volunteers commit dozens of hours to volunteer work parties within Golden Gate Park each weekend. To learn more about volunteer events, contact: recparkvolunteer@sfgov.org

14 Fun Things to Do in Golden Gate Park

The Windmills

  • Check out the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, right by the Dutch Windmill. It features thousands of tulips interspersed with Icelandic poppies, which burst into glorious flowers in spring.
  • Visit the Millwright’s Cottage near the Murphy Windmill, and check out one of the world’s tallest windmills.

Lawn Bowling Green

  • Try out Lawn Bowling
  • Enjoy a picnic on the lawn nearby and watch Lawn Bowling

Japanese Tea Garden ($)

  • Enjoy the Cherry Blossoms and green tea
  • Meditate in the Zen Garden and a stroll around the Koi Pond

Koret Children’s Playground

  • Great family time at the playground
  • Ride the historic carousel

Kezar Stadium

  • Run a mile on the track
  • Watch the SF Deltas, the City’s official soccer team, play a home game ($)

Stow Lake ($)

  • Eat pink popcorn
  • Try paddling a boat around the Lake

Bison Paddock

  • Meet the bison and watch them eat (best time varies, but it’s generally between 10 am and noon)
  • Special bird sighting including the White-crowned Sparrows and other birds near Bison Paddock and Chain of Lakes

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*, Fairs & Festivals, History
Address: 1690 John F Kennedy Dr., San Francisco, CA