San Francisco Celebrates One Year of Sunset Dunes
A “PloverFest” party was held Sunday to celebrate the first anniversary of Sunset Dunes, the two-mile linear park along San Francisco’s coastline. When Sunset Dunes opened, it made history as California’s largest pedestrianization project, measuring 50 acres and stretching from Sloat Boulevard to Lincoln Way.
Since then, it’s become a vibrant gathering place where people of all ages come to play, relax, bike, skate, walk, run, and connect by the coast.
“Thousands of people came out to Sunset Dunes for PloverFest to celebrate and listen to music with neighbors and friends,” said Lucas Lux with Friends of Sunset Dunes. “This energy is yet another sign of how beloved the park has become,”
More from S.F. Rec and Park:
Over the past 12 months, approximately 300 volunteers planted more than 2,200 dune grasses, strengthening the shoreline against sea level rise. Birding excursions, walking tours and dog stewardship education helped community members connect with nature. Birdwatchers documented 87 species, including nesting white-crowned sparrows.
Sunset Dunes hosted 20 permitted events in its first year, drawing large crowds, including nearly 13,000 participants at the Skechers Hot Chocolate Run, 9,500 runners at the San Francisco Half Marathon, and 3,000 Halloween revelers at the Great Hauntway event.
At the same time, the park is used regularly for everyday recreation and gathering. Survey data indicates one in four visitors lives in the Sunset.
Rec and Park also conducted a broad community outreach process in the park’s first year, hosting open houses and stakeholder meetings and gathering input from more than 3,000 people. That work will continue in the second year, with a focus on delivering community-requested improvements, adding new amenities, and engaging the public in shaping the park’s future.
Of course, there’s still a shrinking contingent of obstructionists who will never accept the outcome of 2024’s Prop. K, which converted this stretch of Great Highway into a park. Yes, support for Prop. K cost Supervisor Joel Engardio his job. And, yes, the “controversy” continues. But given the park’s success, the remaining opposition, loud as it may be, is in fact petering out.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating Sunset Dunes’s success for many more years to come,” said Lux.
Be sure to check out additional coverage of the anniversary in the SF Chron.
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