San Francisco activates Chinatown station plaza for summer events

Performers with Lion Dance ME performed at press conference in Chinatown in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photo by Jerold Chinn.

City leaders and community groups announced several summer and fall cultural activities in San Francisco’s Chinatown in an effort to attract residents and visitors to shop and dine in the neighborhood.

Officials made the announcement at the upper plaza of Muni’s Chinatown-Rose Pak station where the open space will host community events on Saturdays and Sundays starting this month through the end of November.

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Community Youth Center will collaborate to put on weekend events at the upper plaza of the station, the Mayor’s Office said.

Mayor London Breed announced the activation of the upper plaza of the Chinatown-Rose Pak station at a press conference in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photo by Jerold Chinn.

“People will get off at this station and say ‘what is going on here I need to stop for a moment before I head over to Far East or to Capital,’” Mayor London Breed said. “If you don’t want to miss anything, then you want to show up in Chinatown almost every day, but especially on the weekends when it’s going to be the most active and the most fun.”

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown, said the new open space is much needed in the dense neighborhood.

Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin announced several community events taking place in Chinatown this summer at a press conference in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photo by Jerold Chinn.

“This is an extraordinary spot because Chinatown has the highest density not only in San Francisco, but the western seaboard of the United States, “ he said. “It has been starved for open space. So, this is not only the new Chinatown-Ros Pack station, this is a new open space in Chinatown.”

SFMTA Streets Director Tom Maguire said the transit agency will keep transit riders safe who take Muni to Chinatown through its ambassador program and partnership with the Police Department.

“We want to be welcoming to people no matter what their background, no what their age, and we want to make sure that they’re safe to get from point A to point B,” Maguire said.

The Mayor’s Office said neighborhood events will also take place in Japantown, Excelsior, Richmond, Sunset, Bayview, Portola, Tenderloin South of Market and on Ocean Avenue in the coming months.

For a full list of events happening in Chinatown, visit https://www.spotlightchinatown.com/.