BREAKING: One Night of Awe to Celebrate San Francisco’s 175th!
Tuesday, April 15 · Beginning at Sunset · UN Plaza → City Hall
This Tuesday marks the 175th anniversary of San Francisco’s incorporation as a city in 1850.
To celebrate, Illuminate invites you to a one-night-only public art activation at the city’s ceremonial core, a joyful, reverent, and radiant expression of love for San Francisco.
Thanks to the support of Recreation & Parks and City Hall, we’ve just been granted permission to illuminate the gold-leaf dome of City Hall using nine Laser Space Cannons mounted on the AweMobile, a custom-built light vehicle making its public debut.
We’ll assemble at the United Nations Plaza, just outside the skate park’s white fence, aiming beams of colored light to cascade across UN Plaza, Fulton Plaza, and Civic Center Plaza, terminating on the dome of City Hall. This will be the first time lasers have been allowed to interact with this historic landmark.
How to Join
Gather at sunset. Stay ‘til the batteries give out.
There is no program. No stage. No sponsors.
Just presence, light, and each other.
Our Shared Principles
LEAVE IT BETTER
Pick up litter. Beautify the space.
HONOR THE NEIGHBORS
We gather where others live. Move kindly. Speak softly. Shine gently.
GO BIO-WISE
Facilities are limited. Plan accordingly.
MAKE FRIENDS OF STRANGERS
Everyone here is a fellow lover of San Francisco. Let’s build community in the light of this monumental moment.
Viewing Guide
The best views will be from Market Street through UN Plaza, Fulton Plaza, and Civic Center Plazas.
We recommend bringing chairs and blankets to create a cozy space for your and friends to bask in the glory of San Francisco.
This is a communal expression of what we affectionately call the City of Awe.
A tribute to San Francisco.
A whisper of joy.
A soft and glorious gathering.
Our plan is to begin at sunset and last as long as the AweMobile’s batteries will carry us.
Join us in lighting the way on #415Day
