7X7

Forty-nine beams of light rose above Civic Center during San Francisco’s historic summer.

7X7 was a monumental public artwork that turned San Francisco’s Civic Center into a field of light. For fourteen consecutive nights, from dusk until dawn, forty-nine beams climbed into the sky above Civic Center Plaza—one for each square mile of the city’s iconic seven-by-seven miles.

Free and open to all, 7X7 ran nightly from June 21, the Summer Solstice, through July 4, 2026. The two weeks it spanned were among the most remarkable in the city’s history, gathering Pride Weekend, three FIFA World Cup matches, San Francisco’s 250th birthday, and America’s 250th birthday into a single celebration.

Conceived by Illuminate Founder and Chief Visionary Officer Ben Davis to honor the city’s famous dimensions, the installation occupies Civic Center Plaza—San Francisco’s historic gathering place for celebration, protest, remembrance, and renewal. Installed in direct alignment with City Hall, the forty-nine beams stood for the many communities that together make San Francisco whole.

The beams changed color across the run, shifting to rainbow hues during Pride Weekend and the colors of the American flag on July 4. The laser systems sat roughly ten feet above the ground on a custom truss, so visitors and families could walk freely beneath the entire installation and look straight up through the canopy of light. Visible across the city and around the Bay, 7X7 showed San Francisco at its most creative, welcoming, and inspiring.

During Pride Weekend, 7X7 shared the sky with another Illuminate tradition. For the fifth year, the organization lit WelcomeSF—a 4.1-mile rainbow laser flag running the length of Market Street, widely called the world’s largest Pride flag. First lit in 2022, its beams stretch from the Embarcadero to Twin Peaks.

7X7 existed because of an extraordinary group of partners. Illuminate extends special thanks to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, SF Pride, Silverback, Bridge Six, and NuSalt Laser for helping make this bold idea real. Special gratitude goes to Kyle Meyers of Silverback, who played a crucial role navigating the relationship with Pride and RPD and generously helped engineer and provide materials for the truss system, and to Loren Ovieda of Bridge Six and Local 16, whose team helped build and wire the structure. NuSalt Laser of Folsom, California—Illuminate’s longtime creative partner, led by artist and inventor Tim Anderson—provided the laser systems and technical expertise that make the installation possible.

Like all Illuminate projects, 7X7 was free to experience. There are no sponsorships, naming rights, advertising, or admission fees.

For more information about how you can suppot our projects, please contact David Hatfield at david@illuminate.org

This summer, the eyes of the world are on our city.

From Pride and the Summer Solstice to major global moments like the World Cup, SF is stepping onto the world stage. We believe the world shouldn’t just see our city – it should see us shine.