SAN FRANCISCO — Ken Kesey’s original Furthur bus is getting a very San Francisco farewell on Halloween: a slow trip down Haight Street with live music and two outdoor concerts.
The Haight Street Art Center says the free send-off begins at 1:11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 at Haight and Stanyan streets. Furthur will travel east on a flatbed truck, with a live band following on another vehicle.
What is the Furthur route?
The first leg starts at Haight and Stanyan. The procession then moves east along Haight Street.
The first announced stop is near Love on Haight, just east of Masonic Avenue, where the bus is scheduled to pause for a 30-minute outdoor concert. The second stop is outside the Haight Street Art Center, 215 Haight St., for another 30-minute concert and final farewell.
Can people walk behind the bus?
No. The organizer invites people to watch and dance from the sidewalks but explicitly says spectators cannot walk behind the vehicles or join the procession in the roadway.
Which streets and Muni routes are affected?
SFMTA says the event requires a temporary closure of Haight Street and minor reroutes of the 7 Haight/Noriega and 37 Corbett. If you are traveling through the Haight Saturday afternoon, allow extra time even if you are not attending the event.
Because this is a moving procession, the most useful spectator strategy is to choose one viewing area rather than trying to follow the vehicles along the street.
Who is playing?
The band had not been publicly announced when SF News Today checked the organizer page Oct. 27. Haight Street Art Center says to expect music “in the spirit of the Grateful Dead.” That is a description of the event’s musical direction, not confirmation that any specific artist will appear.
Why is Furthur leaving?
The organizer describes the event as a send-off before the bus goes into storage and restoration. Furthur is one of the best-known physical artifacts of the Merry Pranksters era and San Francisco’s psychedelic history, making the Halloween route itself part parade, part concert and part moving historical exhibit.