Beloved SOMA Cultural Hub Kapwa Gardens to Close July 26
While community space closes in its original location, making way for senior housing, the City will invest in a future Kapwa Gardens 2.0
Yum Yams at Kapwa Gardens (photo from Kultivate Labs)
San Francisco, CA, July 9, 2025 — After five transformative years as a vibrant cultural sanctuary in the heart of SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District, Kapwa Gardens will officially close on July 26, 2025, to make way for new senior housing. While this chapter is coming to a close, the legacy of Kapwa Gardens is far from over.
The City has awarded pre-development funding for Kapwa Gardens 2.0—a future site at 4th and Folsom that will carry the same vision of healing, creativity, and cultural resurgence into new ground.
“Kapwa Gardens was never just a space—it was an experiment in empathy, imagination, and what’s possible when community leads,” said Desi Danganan, Executive Director of Kultivate Labs. “As we transition to what’s next, we’re staying rooted in the same values that brought us here—sustainability, inclusion, and shared joy.”
From Pandemic Prototype to Community Haven
Kapwa Gardens opened in 2021—a year after San Francisco’s first COVID-19 shelter-in-place order—transforming a city-owned parking lot at 967 Mission into the city’s first public space designed with COVID-19 precautions in mind. Built in just six months with the help of over 350+ volunteers, it became a healing space for people to be outdoors and gather safely, blossoming into a vibrant expression of Filipino art, culture and care.
"Kapwa Gardens has been a joyful space and a home for the Filipino community for the last few years," said Supervisor Matt Dorsey. "This space shows what is possible when we put culture and community at the forefront of downtown recovery, and I'm excited to see its next phase."
Over five years, Kapwa Gardens:
Hosted 264+ public events, featuring 100+ vendors, artists, and tradition-based cultural practitioners
Provided economic activation for Filipino entrepreneurs, generating $115K+ in vendor sales in 2023 alone
Became a sanctuary for wellness and art—from Filipino Martial Arts and live jam sessions, to cultural workshops and Ube festivals
Built and nurtured by 300+ volunteers
Celebrate With Us One Last Time
The final event at the current site—“Yum Yams 2025: A Final Community Gathering”—will take place on Saturday, July 26, celebrating the spirit of the beloved Ube Festival and everything the community has built together. All are welcome to join in this joyful farewell.
Attendees can enjoy special DJ sets by Jon Reyes, ETIV, and Trixamillion, along with beloved vendors such as Katha Collection, Hatzumomo, Arkipelago Books, Batok ni Kabuay, Made by Meech, Wyldflower and Common Thread Activation, and more.
“Kapwa Gardens means a lot to me. I was there from the start,” said cultural practitioner and artist Kristian Kabuay. “Lived a block away and co-designed and painted the bus. The markets helped me grow my Batok (traditional tattoo) practice as a communication channel to the community. Economically, it helped me sustain living downtown and reinvest in my community work. Sad to see it go but I'm confident that we'll rebuild in some way in the future.”
Kapwa Gardens may be closing its doors, but its story continues. With the upcoming Urban Alchemy Oasis Park and the future Kapwa Gardens 2.0, the seeds of community care, creativity, and collective healing are already growing in new soil.
Yum Yams 2025: A Final Community Gathering Celebrating 5 Years of Kapwa Gardens
Kapwa Gardens, 967 Mission St, San Francisco
Saturday, July 26, 12-5pm
FREE to attend
RSVP now:
https://www.kapwagardens.com/events/yumyams-2025
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