BART and SF Muni prep for San Francisco Pride Parade service

SAN FRANCISCO -- BART and SF Muni will be providing special service to help people get to and from the 52nd annual San Francisco Pride Parade Sunday.

BART plans to increase service to accommodate the increased number of people in the system attending the parade.

BART will open at 8 a.m. Sunday, running five-line service until 8 p.m. with additional special event trains as ridership warrants. After 8 p.m., BART will run 3-line service. BART anticipates full service on all lines. 

The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at Market and Beale Streets, which is closest to the Embarcadero Station. The procession ends at Market and 8th Streets, closest to the Civic Center Station.

BART riders should expect large crowds at Embarcadero Station before the start of the parade and large crowds all day at Civic Center Station. Heavy ridership is anticipated to and from all downtown San Francisco stations and the 16th St. Mission Station. Riders are encouraged to use Montgomery Street and Powell Street instead of Civic Center or Embarcadero stations. 

Given that Sunday will be the first time many parade attendees take BART since the start of the pandemic, even with the large crowds that used the service for the Warriors victory parade last Monday, the transit agency has provided some quick tips to ensure a smooth ride:

• Before you leave home put a Clipper card on your cellphone through either Apple Pay or Google Pay. Clipper is waiving the $3 new-card fee for riders who add either of the mobile options. Please ensure you have sufficient funds for a roundtrip. 
• Masks are required in all BART stations and on all trains.
• Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street and Civic Center stations can all be used to get to the parade route.
• Download the official BART app to plan your trip, get real time departures, and pay for parking.
• Be patient, it could get crowded on trains and in our stations. BART's busiest hours are expected to be from the parade start until 2pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm leaving the parade and celebration.
• When boarding trains, move to the center of the car so more can fit, remove backpacks.
• Don't jam a train door- it could take the whole train out of service.

The SFMTA has also provided information on how the SF Pride Parade and other associated weekend Pride activities including Saturday's Dyke March and the festivities at the Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday will impact SF Muni service. F Market streetcar service is being replaced by bus shuttles for much of the weekend.

The annual Dyke March happens starting at 5 p.m. in the Castro on Saturday. The march route travels along 18th, Valencia, 16th, Market before ending in the Castro, causing streets closures for automobiles and reroute for a number of Muni lines. There will be a shuttle bus replacing J Church streetcar service starting at 3 p.m. until after the march is over.

Starting at 9 a.m. Sunday, Market Street will be closed between 8th St and Beale. All intersections on Market will be closed to cross traffic during the Parade.

Additional information on service impacts can be found on the SFMTA website.

In:
• Pride
• LGBTQ+
• San Francisco