Latest news with #DanielMontes
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
San Francisco's 4/20 festival is off for the 2nd year in a row
The Brief There won't be an official 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park for the 2nd year in a row. The Rec and Park Dept. will hold a smaller, sports-focused event in the space where the 4/20 celebration is typically held. With 4/20 falling on Easter Sunday, there are plenty of options this weekend for events in the city including in Dolores Park and Japantown SAN FRANCISCO - For a second year, the massive cannabis celebrations that we saw in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on April 20th are off. The backstory In years past, 4/20 saw massive celebrations filling Robin Williams Meadow and spilling over to Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Now, for a second year, that festival has failed to materialize. San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department said it will be replaced by a smaller festival in the same place focused on outdoor sports and fun. "This is the second annual Peace Love and Polo Field Day," said Daniel Montes from San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department. "So, yeah, it's a day filled with sports like kickball, volleyball, cornhole, spikeball. There'll be food trucks. A big day with fun. It is different than traditional years." Cannabis industry experts said, for a second year, the organizers of the 4/20 festivities were unable to find a sponsor to underwrite the cost of hosting a free event that in the past hosted as many as 20,000 people and featured food, cannabis booths and a stage with big-name musical acts. Patrick Goggin is an attorney working in the cannabis space and said the industry is maturing and facing some serious issues, including, he said, over regulation, over taxation, and bigger operators moving in and edging out smaller competitors. "They have control of the market, and they've got what they need, and they don't need to sponsor it," Goggin said. "The consumers are there. The industry is going to remain. The multi-billion dollar industry is going to continue to grow." The official event was called off last year as well, but that didn't stop some cannabis fans from showing up to the area to light up at 4:20 in the afternoon. Organizers behind the Peace Love and Volo Field Day said, although the event isn't focused on cannabis, it doesn't mean that those who wish to indulge aren't welcome. "People are welcome to celebrate however they want to celebrate on Sunday and whatever holiday they want to celebrate," Montes said. "We just ask that people be safe." There is also a lot of competition for attention on Sunday. It's also Easter Sunday, so there will be religious celebrations underway throughout the city, as well as organized events at Dolores Park to celebrate the holiday. So, there are a lot of options competing for attention on this 4/20. No word at this point if 4/20 organizers are going to try to revive the festival next year.
Axios
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Oceanfront Great Highway park set to open in April
San Francisco's long-awaited oceanfront park on the city's west side is set to open in April. Why it matters: With the anticipated opening date of April 12, it will become what the city claims will be "the largest pedestrianization project" in California's history. The latest: The new 43-acre park will be completely car-free and encompass a two-mile stretch of The Great Highway from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard. Murals, sculptures, recreation areas, vista points, outdoor fitness equipment and a skate space, among other amenities, are to be added. What they're saying:"This park belongs to the people of San Francisco," Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the city's recreation and park department, said in a recent statement. "We can't wait to celebrate this historic moment." By the numbers: San Francisco received a $1 million grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy Board last year to help convert the highway into a park, while $600,000 in city funds have been budgeted for the next fiscal year in maintenance and operation costs, according to recreation and park department spokesperson Daniel Montes. Catch up quick: The city's announcement comes just months after voters in November passed Proposition K, which asked San Franciscans to decide whether to permanently ban cars along an upper portion of the highway and turn it into a waterfront park. Friction point: Voters in the Sunset and Richmond districts largely opposed the measure due to concerns over traffic and longer commutes, in sharp contrast to the approval it gained from voters on the city's east side. Context: Though the four-lane road has long been an essential transportation artery, proponents of the closure said longstanding erosion issues would only worsen if the roadway remained open to vehicles. The intrigue: The controversial ballot measure's passage sparked a recall campaign against District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents much of the area where the Great Highway is located, after he supported the closure and proposed to put the measure on the ballot. The campaign, which officially launched last month, has until May to secure the 10,000 or so signatures required to initiate a recall election. What's next: The road will be permanently closed to cars starting March 14. Residents have until March 16 to submit name ideas for the new park. A final name will be selected by April 2, ahead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the park's official opening.
