IIluminate the Arts unveiled their latest project, SPECTRA at this year's Night of Ideas. The night included events at the Asian Art Museum and the Main Library, as well on Fulton. Illuminate will also host a SPECTRA-specific Grand Lighting in the coming months, keep an eye on their site for more info.

Civic Center Plaza served as the site of Mayor Daniel Lurie's inauguration in early January, where thousands of attendees gathered to see the 46th mayor sworn into office and becoming part of the long political history of Civic Center. Also sworn in for the new term was Bilal Mahmood, the new District 5 supervisor, which encompasses much of Civic Center.

The UN Plaza skate park added 2,100 square feet of skate space designed by Olympic skateboarder, MIT-trained architect Alexis Sablone. "This innovative installation showcases the fusion of skateboarding, art, and design and reimagines public spaces as hybrid playscapes," said funder Benjamin Anderson Bashein, CEO of The Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation).

The 2024 Civic Star Award went to Captain Daniel Manning of the SFPD for his leadership and guidance solving for complex crime and safety concerns in the District. Captain Manning played a key role in the public-private partnership focused on the Civic Center/Mid Market/Tenderloin area. The award was presented by CCCBD Board Member and Director of Security for the Asian Art Museum - Calen McEldowny.

Mary Conde, Senior VP of Civic Center's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium/Another Planet Entertainment, was named among Billboard's 2025 Women in Music for her work in the industry, which "recognizes music's rising artists, creators, producers and executives for their contributions to the industry and community." Congratulations Mary!

There's a new place to relax in the District, Massage Envy opened a location at 150 Van Ness. This location offers massages, facials, stretching, stone work and more.

The Grove Street Lighting Project continues to move forward, most recently with an exterior lighting installation along the Grove Street side of 250 Van Ness Ave. While efforts to install fixtures on several historic locations along the three-block stretch are still in the works, the lighting installation at 250 Van Ness bookends the project along with the fixtures installed at the Main Library and Market Street East at Market and Grove.

The funded phase of the Better Market Street Project from 5th to 8th is nearly complete. The project included new curb ramps, traffic signals and trees.

A few crosswalks were repainted as part of the project but most from 5th to Van Ness Ave. still remain in need of repaving and repainting.

The SF Ballet 2024-2025 season is dazzling at the War Memorial Opera House stage this spring. Ballets include Broken Love (through April 18), a double bill in which a SF Chronicle review notes, "Isabella DeVivo was a magnetic Frida on opening night. In a teasingly triumphant duet with her fellow artist and feckless lover, Diego Rivera (Myles Thatcher in the thankless role of a macho cad), DeVivo’s Frida planted her bare foot on his thigh, tossed him aside like a gunnysack and zoomed back in for a fleeting kiss."

Other ballets on stage this spring include Van Manen: Dutch Grandmaster (through April 19), and Frankenstein Encore (April 26-May 4). Tickets and more information on the SF Ballet site.

Civic Center Soundtrack, a free concert series from Illuminate, taking place at Fulton Plaza has resumed for the 2025 season!

The diverse musical performances are held every Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 3pm. The full lineup can be found here.

To mark the occasion of the skate plaza expansion mentioned above, and the long history of skateboarding in San Francisco, the Main Branch of the SFPl, concurrently opened Skateboarding San Francisco: Concrete, Community, Continuity, which is in display in the Jewett Gallery through July 6.

While over in Fulton Plaza, the final and largest of the Skate, Rock, Roll & Read event from the SFUSD Arts where the public can roller skate, skateboard, visit community tables and watch youth performances takes place April 26!

The annual Bay to Breakers is back Sunday, May 18! Dance, walk, or run from the starting line in downtown, jog past Civic Center, and end at the beach in race like no other. Dress up in costume, soak up the atmosphere and take in SF's iconic sights!

The SF PRIDE Celebration returns to Civic Center on June 28 and 29, 11am-6pm; featuring music, performances, food, booths and more. Also be sure to catch the SF PRIDE Parade on Market Street on Sunday, June 29 at 10am! Learn more here.