The Union Street Festival will be lit if new District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill gets his way, as he's proposed another one of those to-go cocktail-serving “entertainment zones” be established on Union Street.
In his less than two months in office, new District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill’s most notable piece of legislation (co-authored with D3 Supervisor Danny Sauter) is probably his attempt to lift the formula retail ban on Van Ness Avenue. But Sherrill’s early co-sponsoring of Mayor Lurie’s fentanyl emergency declaration proved politically significant in that measure’s quick and easy passage, though Sherrill might really have his work cut out for him if President Trump actually tries to eliminate the Presidio Trust.
Sherrill’s latest bill introduced may be on a lighter note, but might still prove significant for Cow Hollow merchants. At Tuesday’ SF Board of Supervisors meeting, Sherrill proposed making Union Street the city’s newest boozy “entertainment zone,” where bars and restaurants are legally permitted to sell to-go cocktails and open containers during permitted events when the streets are closed to cars.
1/ Big news for Union Street! I just introduced legislation to create an Entertainment Zone—bringing more energy, more foot traffic, and more support for our incredible restaurants and bars. This is about making Union Street a premier destination for dining and nightlife.
— Stephen Sherrill (@scsherrill) March 5, 2025
The legislation seems specifically crafted to benefit the neighborhood during the annual Union Street Festival, though Union Street does also have some holiday street fair events too. And who knows, more permitted events could be added.
“2024 was perhaps the hardest year for restaurants since 2008, and we need to be doing more to help them thrive,” Sherrill said Tuesday when introducing the measure. “This legislation builds on the success of our Union Street Festival, an annual event that brings thousands of visitors to District 2.”
“By establishing an entertainment zone during the festival, we want to encourage these visitors to eat — and drink — at our many lovely brick-and-mortar restaurants on Union Street,” he added.
We have seen a flurry of these open container-friendly entertainment zones since the first one was established on Front Street last September for Oktoberfest. Since then, another one was added outside the Chase Center, and Supervisor Rafael Mandeleman got another one approved for Cole Valley. Mandelman’s proposed Castro District entertainment zone is still under City Hall consideration.
Under the entertainment zone rules, one can walk the street with an open container, but one cannot leave the entertainment zone boundaries with the drink, nor can you take that drink into an establishment.
Sherrill did not mention the specific geographic boundaries of this entertainment zone Tuesday, though obviously it would cover some part of Union Street. But he did intriguingly tease that “I’m looking forward to being back talking about this same topic again soon” when he introduced the measure Tuesday, so he may be thinking more entertainment zones to come for the Marina or Pac Heights.
So will this measure pass in time so we can booze up in the street for this year’s Union Street Festival? It seems likely. Mandelman’s Cole Valley entertainment zone took less than two months from the day he introduced the proposal to the board, until the day the supervisors approved the measure.
The Union Street Festival is generally the weekend after Memorial Day Weekend, which would place it on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. If that holds, yes, the successful passage of Sherill’s proposal would mean you could buy to-go cocktails at this year’s festival, with the blessing of SFPD and the district's supervisor.
Image: unionstfest via Instagram
