4th Annual Phoenix Day

Welcome to the Fourth Annual Phoenix Day Block Party Program! This year, we’re excited to introduce a new focus on connecting block parties with emergency disaster preparedness. Block parties aren’t just about fun—they are an opportunity to strengthen community ties and build resilience in case of an emergency.

By organizing a block party, you bring your neighborhood together, create vital social connections, and establish networks that can be crucial during a disaster. Knowing your neighbors helps identify and support the most vulnerable members of your community, including the elderly and those with mobility issues.

Join us on October 20th, 2024, for Phoenix Day, and help prepare your neighborhood for any situation while enjoying the festivities. Let’s celebrate the power of community and build a stronger, safer future together!

Application Process

1. Determine Host Eligibility.
   • Please review the following criteria before advancing in the Phoenix Day Application Process.
     1. Be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the city of San Francisco
     2. Reside at an address that is on the block being submitted for closure
     3. The event and the block of the street being submitted for closure meets the City’s street closure permitting process requirements, which include:
     • • The street is residential with a minimum width of 25 feet and its closure will not impact the transit service and metered parking
       • The event is single-day and one-block
       • The event is non-commercial, meaning no admission fees and no sale of goods or services
2. Designate a Block Captain and Co-Host
   • Every block needs one Block Captain and one co-host to be the point of contacts for Livable City. The Block Captain must:
     • Be a resident of the block
     • Manage the application process
     • Assume responsibility for the block party adhering to all program guidelines
3. Gather your signatures of support.
   • Gather signatures from at least 60% of the households on your block using the printable template above or requesting a digital version.
4. Email your completed letter of support to Livable City.
   • When you have enough signatures, email them to phoenixday@livablecity.org using the following format for the subject line: BlockName CrossSt1-CrossSt2 FirstNameInititial LastName
     
5. Complete the Block Party Application Form

Important: Please do not submit a separate application to SFMTA. The Phoenix Day program team at Livable City will submit and pay for the necessary permit applications to SFMTA and the Entertainment Commission on the participant’s behalf. Please make sure to include the most updated information about the event in the application or email the latest update to the Program Team at phoenixday@livablecity.org.

Participants will not be reimbursed for separate permit applications and are responsible for any fees incurred.

• Be over 18 years of age
• Be a resident in San Francisco
• The applicant must be a resident of the block for which they’re applying to host a block party
• The street must meet the requirements for a neighborhood block party permit as determined by the SFMTA. The street should be residential with a minimum width of 25 feet, no more than one lane of traffic in each direction and not impact transit, metered parking, or emergency services, and the event should be free and open to the neighborhood

In order to qualify for a Sunday Streets Phoenix Day Block Party permit, your street must meet the SFMTA’s eligibility requirements. All final decision on eligibility for a given block will be determined by ISCOTT, however streets that meet the following requirements are generally eligible:

• A one-block, residential street with a minimum width of 25 feet
• Free of transit service, parking meters, and emergency services (i.e. Fire or Police Station, Hospitals)
• No more than one lane of traffic in either direction
• Has no ground floor businesses, multi-car parking garages, social services sites like senior centers or libraries open the weekend, or places of worship

To ensure a smooth and welcoming day for all, every block party will be required to do and document the following outreach to receive and/or maintain their permit:

• Get 60% of the households on the block to sign the letter of support (required to complete the Block Party Application Form). A printable or digital template is available above.
• Flyer every house and car on the block by the deadline listed above and document your outreach (i.e. photos of flyers on cars and houses).
  • • IMPORTANT Must submit documentation of flyering by the deadline published above or your space will be forfeited.
• Place a-frames barricades with no parking signs out once received and/or no later than the Friday before Phoenix Day, but can go out as soon as they are delivered on the Wednesday before Phoenix Day.
• Flyer every house and car on the block sometime between Wednesday-Friday before Phoenix Day.

the following activities are prohibited all Phoenix Day block parties:

• Bounce houses or other large inflatables in the sidewalk or roadway
• Setting equipment in front fire hydrants, driveways without the neighbor’s permission, or on the sidewalk 
• Motor vehicles or motor vehicle shows
• Physical stages, large structures, or inflatables
• Generators
• BBQ or cooking equipment in the public right of way (i.e. sidewalk or roadway)
• Distribution of individual, single-use plastic water bottles
• Sale of food
• Sales of any kind
• Distribution of food/groceries
• Promotion or use of products deemed to be in conflict with SFDPH’s HEAL Legislation, such as alcohol, tobacco, recreational cannabis, vaping, and other smoking products
• Gated, paid programming (pay rides, VIP lounges, etc)
• Commercial promotion or sampling of sugar sweetened beverages or junk food as deemed by SFDPH’s HEAL Legislation
• Promotion of products that conflict with sustainable transportation, such as private automobiles, fossil fuel companies, etc.