Oddly, it seemed there were a lot of other people who had the same idea. Usually the park is bustling with joggers, bikers, families on sweet strolls, but today there were loads of hippies in the mix. Old hippies, cool modern hippies, young student hippies, middle- aged parent hippies... tiedye, raggy, and Urban Outfitters clad folks in swarms. They were all headed in the same general direction, and because I had no particular agenda, I decided to tag along and see where they were all going.
I could hear music in the background and the further we walked, the louder it was. Suddenly there was a sea of people and a loud, progressive band was entertaining the crowd of thousands. Every 4th person was toting anti-war propaganda or promoting Proposition 19 (to legalize marijauna in CA). There were activists of every type, about a three hundred people doing yoga on the sidelines, and the air was pungent with pot.
Unwittingly I had stumbled into the Power to the Peaceful festival; an annual international event held at GG Park for, as the website explains, "art, action, and music... highlighting mankind's similarities and celebrating our differences," that draws 50,000 attendees every year. Call a spade a spade-- it's a MAJOR hippie fest. San Fran at its finest.
I felt a bit out of place with my Gap tank top and Adidas sandles and all, but realized quickly this was stupid... nobody cared-- they were all peaceful and stoned. Michael Franti and Spearhead were the main event and next on the line up, and I ended up staying all afternoon.
Later that night Dan asked me what I did all day. I told him, and his dubious look irritated me. "You went to the Power to the Peaceful?" Yep, I did. All day long.
And I'll probably go back next year, too. :)
*Regretfully I didn't have my camera, so I snapped a few pics on my phone and borrowed some from Google images... here's a sneak peek:
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