Five years of JFK Promenade: reflections and photos

A couple of weeks ago, I got a text message from a friend.

It read: “Every time I’m on JFK Promenade, I just think how insane it is that there ever were cars here.”

Five years into having this safe, car-free space for people in Golden Gate Park, it’s easy to forget what JFK Promenade was like before. But I remember. It was JFK Drive, and it was a dangerous, noisy, and congested cut-through.

But today it’s one of the happiest places and most popular attractions in our city, thanks to so many amazing leaders, partners, volunteers, and of course, San Francisco voters. Read the full story of JFK Promenade here.

JFK Promenade is proof of what we can do together – and represents the direction we need our city to go in terms of prioritizing people and safety on all streets.

Celebrating five years of JFK Promenade

A big thanks to everyone who came out on April 27 to celebrate five years since former Mayor London Breed first closed the 1.5-mile stretch of road to vehicle traffic all day, every day.

We picnicked in Peacock Meadow with birthday cake, drag story hour, a talk by Nancy Botkin on the history of car-free spaces in Golden Gate Park, and special guests State Senator Scott Wiener and City Attorney David Chiu. Check out our photos below, and this news piece from NBC Bay Area. 

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Walk SF members rocking our brand-new beanies. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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City Attorney David Chiu has a long track record – much longer than the 1.5 miles of JFK Promenade – as a District Supervisor, as a State Assemblymember, and now as City Attorney – in championing solutions to make our streets safe. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Congratulations to this adorable raffle winner. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Walk SF member and Golden Gate Park expert Nancy Botkin gave an amazing talk on the history of car-free spaces in the park. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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State Senator Scott Wiener spoke at the picnic. Back in 2020, Senator Wiener authored and passed a state bill streamlining the approval process for pedestrian, bike, and transit projects that was crucial in JFK Promenade becoming permanent. Without this bill, JFK Promenade would likely have been put into legal limbo. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Kids and parents enjoyed some picture books as part of Drag Story Hour. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Thank you to volunteer superstar Rebecca for manning Walk SF's merch table. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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From left: Jodie Medeiros, Walk SF; Christopher White; SF Bicycle Coalition; City Attorney David Chiu; Ben Davis, Illuminate; Kat Anderson, SF Rec and Park Board; State Senator Scott Wiener; and Robin Pam, KidSafe SF. Photo by Fiona Yim.

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Photo by Fiona Yim.

If you love JFK Promenade, I hope you’ll support Walk SF’s work to make people and safety the priority on all streets.