St. Anthony Foundation to Co-Host the First Sunday Streets of the 2025 Season in the Tenderloin

MEDIA ALERT

Media Contact:
Sally Haims | Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
(415) 254-5884 | SHaims@stanthonysf.org

Partnering with Livable City, the family-friendly celebration draws more than 2,000 people and illustrates the benefits of car-free, safe community spaces like the Golden Gate Greenway project

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 10, 2025) –  In partnership with Livable City, St. Anthony Foundation will co-host the first Sunday Streets celebration of the 2025 season on Sunday, June 15 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. covering the 100 and 200 blocks of Golden Gate Avenue, between Hyde Street and Jones Street. Each year starting from June through October, Sunday Streets block parties occur in diverse neighborhoods throughout San Francisco.

For more than 75 years, St. Anthony Foundation has provided pathways to stability for thousands of San Franciscans in need, thanks to the steadfast support of the community. As a beacon of hope in the Tenderloin, St. Anthony’s offers low-barrier, integrated services to uplift more than 15,000 people experiencing addiction, homelessness, or poverty annually. St. Anthony’s provides one of the broadest portfolios of social services – from the Dining Room, which has served more than 48 million meals since 1950, and Free Clothing Program to the Medical Clinic and Father Alfred Recovery Center – nearly all under one roof.

“This block party is more than a celebration—it’s a reflection of what makes the Tenderloin such a vibrant, resilient community,” said Larry Kwan, MD, CEO of St. Anthony Foundation. “On June 15th, more than 2,000 neighbors—including hundreds of children—will gather for music, games, art, and performances made possible by deep partnerships with local nonprofits, artists, and volunteers. In a neighborhood where safe, open space is limited, we’re grateful to help create a joyful, welcoming environment where families can connect, kids can play freely, and community spirit can thrive.”

Family-friendly activities include:

• Dunk tank
• Food trucks
• An SFFD fire engine for kids to climb aboard
• Live music from multiple local bands on an elevated stage
• Interactive fun for children – face painting, henna, chalk, bubbles, youth lounge, and more
• Photo booth
• Sports – basketball, street soccer
• Circus performers from Circus Center, stilt walkers, aerial performances 
• Plant-potting and greening of the block
• Community information booths from nonprofits, including details about the Golden Gate Greenway project
• Contests, giveaways (including kids book giveaway), and prizes

While St. Anthony’s is co-hosting the event with Livable City, several organizations are also participating in the Sunday Streets event, including the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), Glide Memorial Church, Circus Center, Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TCBD), San Francisco Public Library, Tenderloin Museum, Street Soccer USA, De Marillac Academy, Wu Yee Children’s Services, 826 Valencia, Code Tenderloin, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT), Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC), San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Friends of the Urban Forest, and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). 

“The Tenderloin faces tough challenges right now, but this is the kind of bold community leadership we need to turn things around. The Golden Gate Greenway is vitally important to bring events like Sunday Streets and other joyful community events to a neighborhood that deserves it,” said Senator Scott Wiener.

“Sunday Streets bring our neighborhoods to life, and I’m excited to see the celebrations return this summer, starting with an event in the Tenderloin,” said Mayor Lurie. “Events like this build community, support local businesses, and generate neighborhood pride—and they are a key part of San Francisco’s economic recovery.”

“Sunday Streets is kicking off summer in the Tenderloin with safe, family-friendly fun,” said Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who lives in the neighborhood. “This is a shining example of community, nonprofits, and the city coming together to uplift the joy and connection of the Tenderloin community.”

“The Golden Gate Greenway is the perfect place to host the first Sunday Streets of the year,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. “It’s a place for Tenderloin neighbors to gather, kids to play and businesses to thrive. We’re excited to partner with Livable City and kick off the summer by showcasing the moments of joy that our streets can bring us.”

“Each year, Sunday Streets showcases the best San Francisco has to offer,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “The Sunday Streets block parties are an opportunity for neighbors, families, small businesses, local organizations, and artists to come together and celebrate community. I look forward to the Tenderloin kicking off this year’s Sunday Streets season.”

Led by St. Anthony’s, the Golden Gate Greenway would permanently close the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue as a slow street, between Leavenworth and Jones Streets in the Tenderloin district to provide a safe open green space for the Tenderloin community. The initiative is overseen by a coalition of 20 non-profit organizations, including eight that operate on the same block – Lutheran Social Services, De Marillac Academy, St. Boniface Catholic Church, Wu Yee Children’s Services, Mercy Housing, Boys & Girls Club, Larkin Street Youth Services, and 826 Valencia – as well as several others like the Tenderloin Community Benefit District and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

Photo opportunities available:

• More than 2,000 attendees including 500 children enjoying live music, games, dunk tank and more in the Tenderloin on the Golden Gate Greenway
• Interviews as willing with city and state leaders including Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Julie Kirschbaum, Director of Transportation, SFMTA, SFFD Chief Crispin, TLPD Captain Knoble, and Laura Flannigan, COO, St. Anthony Foundation, and Darin Ow-Wing, Executive Director, Livable City

Run of Show:
12pm: Event begins
12:30pm-12:45pm: Speakers give welcoming remarks on stage at Jones Street and Golden Gate Ave.
12:45pm-1:00pm: Media interviews
12pm-4pm: Block Party including kids’ street soccer, basketball, dunk tank, GLIDE outreach tents, plant potting station

Our Vision for the Golden Gate Greenway
Home to 30,000 residents, including an estimated 3,500 children, the Tenderloin is one of the most diverse, culturally rich neighborhoods in San Francisco. It is also one of the densest, with heavy traffic congestion and little in the way of green, open space. We want to change that. The pandemic forced social service organizations like St. Anthony’s to move operations out onto the street. We were able to do so with a temporary block closure on Golden Gate Avenue, between Leavenworth and Jones. Turning crisis into opportunity, we’ve used the space to serve the community even more effectively than before, hosting neighborhood events such as outdoor voter registration, Covid-19 pop-up testing, and Play Streets for children. Our time outside has also allowed us to imagine what the block could be with a permanent street closure: a green oasis in the heart of the Tenderloin that would benefit the community physically, mentally, and spiritually. Send a letter of support for the Golden Gate Greenway to the Mayor here.

About St. Anthony Foundation
Located in the heart of the Tenderloin, St. Anthony Foundation is one of the largest, primarily privately funded social service providers in San Francisco and a place of great love. We offer safety net, health care, and employment services informed by evidence-based best practices for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, or addiction. Our goal is to build trust over time with individuals and to give each person the tools and opportunity to sustainably exit homelessness. We offer a welcoming healing community, a pathway to stability, and a model for broader change.

About Sunday Streets
Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from San Francisco Public Works, Department of Recreation and Parks, Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

About Livable City
Livable City works to create a San Francisco of great streets and complete neighborhoods, where walking, bicycling, and transit are the best choices for most trips, where public spaces are beautiful, well-designed, and well-maintained, and where housing is more plentiful and more affordable.eridge, Ann Miller, O’Shea Foundation, Original Joe’s, San Francisco Association of Realtors, Momo’s, AT&T, Cobb’s Comedy Club, Recology , Turner & Townsend, Gino and Carlo, San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798