Following declining COVID cases and California’s recent decision to forgo mask mandates, two iconic Bay Area events are poised to return in person this year.
San Francisco Pride announced that it will return to the streets on June 25 and 26 for the first time since the pandemic, ABC7 reported. Similarly, after two consecutive years of cancellations and virtual events, swaths of stoners are set to take over Hippie Hill for 420 – an unofficial holiday celebrating marijuana.
“We do plan on taking up as much space as possible on Market Street in San Francisco on the last weekend of June and we are so excited to see you all again,” SF Pride board president Carolyn Wysinger told ABC7 in a video interview.
“This year is going to be special,” the official Instagram page for the Hippie Hill event wrote under their announcement.
The two events, which had to either go virtual or cancel their 2020 and 2021 celebrations altogether, are considered integral to the cultural fabric of San Francisco. Now that they’re back, the Bay Area can expect to see parades, performances and other offshoots of Pride events at Dolores Park.
While Pride is still in its early stages of planning, registration is currently open for exhibitors, entertainers and sponsors. Nominees for grand marshals — local heroes who have contributed to the Bay Area’s LGBTQ+ community or to society at large — are also listed on Pride’s website.
Hippie Hill, Haight Street’s unofficial landmark and de facto gathering place to celebrate 420, boasts a long lineup of in-person cannabis vendors: Cookies SF, Weedmaps and United Playaz are just a few.
Wysinger told ABC7 that there will be COVID safety precautions in place during Pride events. However, organizers for the Hippie Hill event have yet to list any details about safety measures.
San Francisco Pride and Hippie Hill organizers did not respond to SFGATE’s request for comment before publication time.
