Presidio Tunnel Tops Opening Season Is Unveiled

​​​​​​An Array of Events, Art, and Food Experiences, Co-Curated by the Community Begins on July 17

San Francisco, CA (June 30, 2022) – The Partnership for the Presidio today announced opening season programs at San Francisco’s most anticipated new national park destination – Presidio Tunnel Tops. The slate was co-curated with the community to include experiences that reflect our region’s cultural vibrancy and invite communities from around the Bay Area to visit the Presidio. The events, art, and food experiences will complement Presidio Tunnel Tops’ spectacular views, picnic sites, and play spaces, which will be unveiled on opening day, Sunday, July 17.

The experiences were co-curated by the Presidio Activator Council, comprised of Bay Area leaders, activists, and artists representing communities historically underrepresented in national parks. The council was formed in 2021 by the Presidio Trust, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the National Park Service (NPS). The intent was to use the same community-driven approach used to design Presidio Tunnel Tops to create experiences that welcome all. Feedback was provided through a new Community Experts program, from leaders with deep connections to neighborhoods across the city to offer feedback on how Presidio Tunnel Tops and the broader Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) can be relevant and responsive to community needs.

“There was a lot of intentionality in having Activators at Presidio Tunnel Tops,” said Kaushik Roy, Presidio Activator and Executive Director of the Shanti Project. “There’s a difference between saying everyone is welcome and making those people feel welcome. What we can do is create programming that keeps those communities in mind and makes people feel like they’re truly wanted and they’re not an after-thought.”

For Presidio Activator and Community Experts bios, visit Tunnel Tops.

Opening Day Events – Sunday, July 17, 10 am to 6 pm

To complement self-guided exploration of this fantastic new park site, opening day activities include a new art installation, some of the best Bay Area talent, Presidio Pop Up mobile food trucks and carts, and NPS Ranger talks at the Campfire Circle. Performances, curated by the Presidio Activator Council, Presidio Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, and World Arts West, include:

• Community Stage Hostess and Emcee, Grammy-award nominee RyanNicole
• Afro-Latin dance by The CaliDance
• Cuban and salsa music by Rumbache
• Beats by DJ Unlearn the World and DJ Saurus
• Drum and dance processions by Fogo Na Roupa
• Bi-lingual poetry readings by Forced2Fly
• B-Boy Dance by Oakland Originalz

Art in the Park

Building on the long tradition of art in the park, Presidio Tunnel Tops will welcome new audiences through a series of temporary exhibitions. These begin with Ancestral Futurism: Looking Back to Repair the Future, an outdoor art installation by Favianna Rodriguez, social justice activist, and Presidio Activator. The installation honors the diversity and interconnectedness of all humans, land, flora, and fauna that have lived in this ecosystem for centuries. The imagery will uplift the stories, experiences, and images of BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) communities with an emphasis on the Ohlone Ramaytush, the original stewards of the land. Abstract symbols will reflect plants and creatures that were once abundant in the region, and themes of justice, freedom, and belonging will weave throughout. Visitors can discover the art outdoors on the pathways near the Presidio Visitor Center and the Outpost nature play area, with breadcrumb stickers on the walkways leading to them. A third installation by the artist will include a banner at the Presidio Plaza welcoming visitors to the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone.

Food at Presidio Tunnel Tops

Presidio Pop Up will feature daily mobile food trucks and carts serving up delicious food that celebrates the diverse cultures and cuisines of the Bay Area, seve​n days a week from 9 am to 6 pm. Details about the opening season vendors will be announced shortly. Il Parco Pizzeria and Café will open inside Presidio Transit Center in late 2022, providing grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, wood-fired pizza, wine, beer, and Italian-inspired cocktails. For a full list of restaurants elsewhere in the Presidio, visit: Presidio Restaurants.

Picnic areas at Presidio Tunnel Tops abound, including the new Picnic Place with tables and grills reservable via recreation.gov. The tables range in length from 16 to 23 feet, are wheelchair accessible, and are shaded by Torrey pines. Booking begins Tuesday, July 19​ for reservations beginning August 1. Reservations are available 30 days in advance. There are​ many first-come-first-served picnic areas at Presidio Tunnel Tops, including​ tables by the Presidio Transit Center, one-sided tables featuring views of the Bay, and countless benches and grassy lawns.

Future Events​

The family-friendly fun continues with a regular series called First Sunday Afternoons (1 pm – 4 pm) on August 7, September 4, October 2, and November 6, and community festivals co-curated by the Presidio Activator Council and Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, World Arts West, and Korean Center, Inc. These include Hip Hop for Change’s 6th Annual Environmental Justice Summit, adding color to the green movement, on August 20. “Being outside in fresh air, nature, getting connected to th​e earth is so important for people,” said Hip Hop for Change’s leader and Presidio Activator Khafre Jay. “The day when people of color can feel comfortable in every park in the city, that’s a day when we’ll be better off as a society.” See event details in the calendar below.

Getting to the Park

There are even more ways to get to the Presidio, car-free. The SFMTA has announced that the Muni
43-Masonic bus line will return to the Transit Center beginning July 9. The 30-Stockton stops along Mason Street and at Sports Basement, adjacent to the Tunnel Tops Outpost, and connects the Presidio to Chinatown and Union Square. The Presidio’s Main Post or East Beach parking lots offers ample paid parking. And the free shuttle service Presidio ​Go enjoys a new name and increased hours of service on the Downtown route from the Transbay Terminal and the Embarcadero BART, as of June 6. Visitors can take advantage of a new rideshare drop-off zone and the new Bay Wheels bike share stations as well. For details on transportation please visit Getting to and Around the Park.

Attention Calendar Editors:

(Note that additional events will be announced on a rolling basis)

Event: Opening Day at Presidio Tunnel Tops
Who: Partnership for the Presidio
Date: Sunday, July 17
Time: 10 am to 6 pm
Place: Presidio Visitor Center, 210 Lincoln Boulevard, San Francisco, 94129
Price: Free
Weblink: Presidio Tunnel Tops
Come explore this new part of the Presidio beginning July 17, from 10 am to 6 pm. Opening Day festivities include Presidio Pop Up food trucks, DIY picnics, art, and an NPS Ranger talk at the Campfire Circle (4 pm – 4:30 pm). Join Community Stage Hostess and Emcee RyanNicole and a lineup of music, dance, DJs, poetry and more. Kids of all ages will love the new two-acre Outpost play area, with all natural features made of stone, wood, sand, and water. Explore the new indoor Field Station and outdoor activity centers, take in the views, paths, gardens, lawns, and all the new park destination has to offer. Co-curated by the Presidio Activator Council, and Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, World Arts West, and Korean Center, Inc.

Event: First Sunday Afternoons at Presidio Tunnel Tops
Who: Partnership for the Presidio
Dates: August 7; September 4; October 2; November 6
Time: 1 pm to 4 pm
Place: Presidio Visitor Center, 210 Lincoln Boulevard, San Francisco, 94129
Price: Free
Weblink: Presidio Tunnel Tops
Enjoy family-friendly fun for all ages at First Sunday Afternoons at Presidio Tunnel Tops. The event features a variety of special activities like DJs, world music, and dance performances on the Community Stage; Presidio Pop Up food vendors; public art; and more. The series is co-curated with the Presidio Activator Council and Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, World Arts West, and Korean Center, Inc.

Event: Ancestral Futurism: Looking Back to Repair the Future, by Favianna Rodriguez
Who: Partnership for the Presidio
Date: Opens Sunday, July 17; ongoing
Place: Field Station, 601 Mason Street, San Francisco, 94129
Price: Free
Weblink: Presidio Tunnel Tops
Ancestral Futurism: Looking Back to Repair the Future features outdoor temporary art installations honoring the diversity and interconnectedness of all humans, flora, and fauna that have lived on the land throughout the centuries. The work uplifts the stories, experiences, and images of BIPOC communities with an emphasis on the Ohlone Ramaytush, the original stewards of the land. Themes of justice, freedom, and belonging are woven throughout. It is created by Favianna Rodriguez, interdisciplinary contemporary artist, cultural strategist, and Presidio Activator, who seeks to create profound and lasting social change in the world through her artistic work. The art is installed at the Transit Center, the Field Station Courtyard and the sidewalk in front of the Visitor Center at Presidio Tunnel Tops.

Event: Drop-In Presidio Nature + History Explorations
Who: Partnership for the Presidio
Date and Time: Wednesday – Friday 11 am to 4 pm; Saturday – Sunday 10 am to 5 pm (Closed Monday and Tuesday)
Place: Presidio Field Station, 601 Mason Street, San Francisco, 94129
Price: Free
Weblink: Presidio Tunnel Tops
The Field Station is a new indoor park facility filled with an abundance of real objects, field specimens, tools and reading resources that connect visitors with the park’s natural and cultural history. Sensory-based activities with seasonally changing content encourage curious exploration, discovery, and investigation of the real Presidio. It’s free and open to the public to drop in, five days a week and staffed by friendly Park Guides, and youth Adventure Guides from our Crissy Field Center youth programs.

Event: NPS Park Ranger Campfire Talks
Who: National Park Service
Dates: Fridays, Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays through September 5, Labor Day
Time: 4 pm to 4:30 pm
Place: Presidio Tunnel Tops Campfire Circle, near 210 Lincoln Boulevard, San Francisco, 94129
Price: Free
Weblink: Presidio Tunnel Tops
Join the NPS Park Rangers for free campfire talks at Presidio Tunnel Tops every Friday – Monday at 4 pm through Labor Day. Park rangers will present histories of the diverse people who have passed through the Presidio through time – this includes indigenous history, military stories including the Buffalo Soldiers’ stories, Japanese Americans interned during WWII, and more. No reservations are required for this free 30-minute drop-in program.

About Partnership for the Presidio

Presidio Tunnel Tops is brought to life by the Partnership for the Presidio, an agency partnership which brings national park experiences to urban communities. Two federal agencies manage the Presidio, the
Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, with support from the nonprofit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Together, the Partnership sustains the Presidio’s natural beauty, preserves its history, maintains its funding, and creates inspiring national park experiences for all. Presidio Tunnel Tops

Presidio Tunnel Tops is a new 14-acre national park experience, built to be a welcoming space to visitors from the Bay Area and around the world. Led by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio Tunnel Tops campaign raised over $98 million, building on the legacy of public parks access started in the GGNRA 50 years ago.