Big Updates to the Golden Mile

Each day, thousands more people are discovering the wonder of Golden Gate Park. That’s millions more visitors each year. Why? Because something magical is happening right here in our city. The word is out – shared among friends and families, passed from smile to smile – JFK Promenade is a delight.

Together, Illuminate, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, a bevy of artists, a brigade of passionate volunteers, and generous philanthropists are evolving The Golden Mile into something truly special.

Over the past few months, a 100-foot-long sea serpent named Naga — created by artist Cjay Roughgarden — has surfaced in Rainbow Falls Pond, blowing bubbles from its nose and completely reimagining the experience of awe in the park.

Three new public pianos have appeared, sheltered under the next iteration of our custom piano garages as we continue to experiment with keeping music alive in the open air. Nearby, artist Rachel Znerold and a volunteer crew painted joyful keyboard crosswalks at the Heron Lake intersection — proof that a little creativity can turn even the pavement into play.

New yellow chairs have been assembled along the Promenade — simple, bright symbols of welcome — and the Solar Arch by artist fnnch, now located on JFK near the skate park, glows above a newly painted sun mural, a beacon of warmth and light.

And greeting everyone who enters the park from the Panhandle along JFK Promenade are five monumental sculptures by renowned Mexican artist Betsabeé Romero — tire-based forms gilded in gold and silver, honoring memory, migration, and movement.

An extra level of gratitude goes to the Sijbrandij Foundation for their strong support of both the Naga project and the Betsabeé Romero sculptures, and for including The Golden Mile on their visionary Big Art Loop — helping connect San Francisco’s public art in powerful new ways.

This is San Francisco at its best — creative, communal, and alive with awe.