7:06AM (Dawn)
The walkabout begins at Ferlinghetti’s former family home with the reading of “The Changing Light” at sunrise.

“The changing light 
at San Franciso    
is none of your East Coast light
none of your
pearly light of Paris
The light of San Francisco
is a sea light
an island
light
And the light of fog
blanketing the hills
drifting in at night
through the Golden Gate
to lie on
the city at dawn…”.

8:00AM
Christopher’s Books is the closest independent bookstore to the start of the annual walkabout. It’s a legacy business and a community hub that preserves the unique, neighborhood-focused character of San Francisco.

Confirmed reader at this stop:
Lone Pine Phil

8:30AM
Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem “Baseball Canto” is “a vibrant celebration of baseball as a metaphor for cultural revolution and the breaking down of traditional barriers.” As is tradition, we’ll stop to read this poem along the walkabout. A citizen poets will slide this one into home, back at Jackson Playground where Ferlinghetti was filmed reading for the USA Poetry series in 1965.

Confirmed poet at this stop:
Chris Buck

10:00AM
Originally opened in the 1930s as "Franco's Lunch" for dockworkers, in 1955 it changed owners and became “Red’s Java House,” a beloved icon of the former working-class waterfront. Known for burgers, beer, and boats. Ferlinghetti was known to frequent a couple of the old-school joints along the waterfront.

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Jessica Loos
Sophia Fox
Toph Baby

11:15AM
At this stop we’ll take in the 27 murals by Anton Refregier, titled History of San Francisco. “In the early 50s Ferlinghetti was writing reviews for New York's Art Digest as a correspondent. In April 1953, he wrote about a report that had recommended removing the murals because it was felt the artist was a Communist sympathizer. Ferlinghetti defended the murals, questioning the movement to censor them.”

Around this same time Ferlinghetti published several translations of French Poet Jacques Prévert. The editor who accepted Ferlinghetti's translations for publication was Peter Martin, a political radical who was running a small magazine in North Beach called City Lights. A short time later they started City Lights Bookstore.

At this stop we’ll read select poems by Prévert in French (as they were written) and in English (as they were translated by Ferlinghetti).

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Chris Peck (reading in French)

1:00PM

We’ll lunch, we’ll hydrate, we’ll take in the sights and sounds of Washington Square, in the heart of North Beach.

2:00PM

After lunch we’ll head to one of the most curious corners of San Francisco—Jack Early Park, the smallest park with the biggest views. Right around the corner from Ferlinghetti’s North Beach flat of almost 40 years.

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Tate Swindell
Jack Nancy

2:30PM
This stop packs a one two punch…we’ll start with a couple poems at the tree and end with a couple more at the alley.

The “signature tree” was planted on Arbor Day in 2019 by San Francisco Public Works to honor Ferlinghetti’s 100th birthday. “Olive trees symbolize peace, rebirth, victory, and longevity. They are also associated with friendship, reconciliation, and healing.”

In 1994 at the dedication ceremony for Via Ferlinghetti, Lawrence said that the dead-end alley was once used by bootleggers and undertakers, and that a poet could hang with that crowd. So will we.

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Stellar Cassidy
Charlie Getter
Jon Rolston
K.R. Morrisson
E.K. Keith
Jonathan Siegel

4:00PM
Golden Sardine is a wine bar, bottle and tinned fish shop, and poetry bookstore. The perfect place for weary walkabout-ers to rest, re-group, and enjoy readings from the window of the poetry loft overlooking Columbus.

The Deen, as it’s affectionally known by its regulars, will also welcome Mauro ffortissimo on the piano and George Long on saxophone. Mauro and his collaborator Dean Mermell are the artists behind the Sunset Piano project, which lead to the creation of Flower Piano in Golden Gate, a beloved annual event now in its 10 year. George is a captivating saxophonist, who is also a talented painter.

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Jennifer Barone
Brandon Loberg
Mukethe Kawinzi
Mauro ffortissimo
Alexis Madrigal

5:15PM
What would City Lights be without Ferlinghetti, just like what would Ferlinghetti Day be without a stop at City Lights? This special stop is not to be missed, with readings from Kerouac Alley and sounds sailing above Columbus…and beyond.

Confirmed poets at this stop:
Agneta Falk Hirschman
Devorah Major
Guido Frosini (reading in Italian)

Kerouac Alley 5:45-ish PM
(after the poetry readings)

We’re thrilled to announce that special friends of Ferlinghetti Day, Conspiracy of Beards, will be joining us again! Conspiracy of Beards is a 30-member male choir that performs dynamic, original, a cappella arrangements of the poetic songs of Leonard Cohen. This year, like last year, the sounds of singing will take wing over “little wooden North Beach.” You don’t know how much you need this! 

We’re always looking to re-create that magical moment in Kerouac Alley on March 24th, 2019 in celebration of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 100th birthday.

6:30-ish PM (Magic Hour)

Circle up and gather ‘round with the poets of the Coit Tower Poetry Club who spearhead a magic hour gathering under the dome at Palace of Fine Arts. A special way to close out Ferlinghetti Day, from sunrise to sunset. All are welcome.

6:30-ish PM (Magic Hour) Under the Dome at the
Palace of Fine Arts
(singing interspersed with readings by citizen poets)

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! This year, for the first time, Conspiracy of Venus will be participating in FERLINGHETTI DAY and joining us at this magical location under the dome. Conspiracy of Venus, the sister group to Conspiracy of Beards, is a vocal ensemble for treble voices that sings the music of Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Pj Harvey, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Roger Miller, Iris DeMent, and more in arrangements by their director, Joyce Todd McBride.

Last year’s time under the dome with the Beards was most-memorable by all accounts. This female-powered version is sure to be as well.

All. Day. Long.
Can’t make it in person? Not to worry. We’ll be posting and live streaming along the way. Follow along. Give it a like and a comment so we know you’re out there. We’re so glad you’re here.

Have a poem or a video or a piece of Ferlinghetti-inspired art you’d like to share? Send a DM to @ferlinghetti_day or send an email to FerlinghettiDay@gmail.com).

You just might see it get shared online or posted along the route of the walkabout in San Francisco on Ferlinghetti Day.

Here. There. Everywhere.

Are you hosting your own Ferlinghetti Day 2026 festivities? Post about it (tag @ferlinghetti_day), tell us about it (send an email to FerlinghettiDay@gmail.com).

We’ll add it to the roster of @large festivities, activities, and offerings below.

Saturday, March 21
6-9PM
San Francisco, CA

3RD ST CREATIVE ARTERY is excited to announce our next exhibit—ADRIFT. AFLOAT. DRY-DOCKED. Paying homage to the shipbuilding past of Bldg 12, the exhibit will pair boat- and nautical-themed work by Lawrence Ferlinghetti with the ship-themed work of two other local artists—Suzy Barnard from the Noonan Building and Stacey Carter from Hunters Point Shipyard.

• • •

ADRIFT. AFLOAT. DRY-DOCKED.
Opening Reception
Saturday, March 21, 6-9pm
In our exhibit space in the public atrium of Bldg 12 at Pier 70
1070 Maryland @ 22nd (2 blocks off 3RD ST)

The exhibit and reception are part of festivities related to Ferlinghetti Day, an annual literary walkabout on March 24th, in honor of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s birthday.

San Francisco’s current Poet Laureate Genny Lim will join us to kick-off this year’s Ferlinghetti Day celebration with a special reading.

The reception will include a performance by long-time Ferlinghetti Day friends Conspiracy of Beards.

See more images and info here.

Sunday, March 22
3-6PM
San Francisco, CA

Join SF ARTS at the old site of Finocchio's, North Beach.

​We're screening USA: Poetry, a 1966 film featuring Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, directed by Richard O. Moore for KQED.

Intermission will feature additional Ferlinghetti footage. Plus outtakes.

When Ferlinghetti heard Finocchio's had closed, he said: "What a drag."

RSVP required.

​Complimentary admission; limited capacity. Kindly advise if you cannot attend so your place may be offered to another guest.

RSVP here.

On view through July 19, 2026
San Francisco, CA

This exhibition at the Legion of Honor explores the artistic practice of one of San Francisco’s most beloved and significant cultural figures: Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021). A poet, activist, publisher, and cofounder of City Lights Bookstore, Ferlinghetti was also an avid painter, draftsman, and printmaker. His work across mediums — often figurative with nautical motifs — frequently combines image and text to delve into themes of isolation, violence, and human resilience. With artworks drawn entirely from our works on paper collection, this exhibition showcases Ferlinghetti’s dynamic work in printmaking, including etching, lithography, and letterpress.

The exhibit was made possible in part by the efforts of Mauro Aprile Zanetti, known for his long-term creative partnership with the late legendary poet and activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti, serving as his final collaborator and a key figure in preserving Ferlinghetti's legacy.

Get more information on the Legion of Honor’s website here.

Tuesday, March 24
11AM

A special Ferlinghetti Day reading at the Legion of Honor. More details coming soon.

Tuesday, March 24th
6-8pm GMT
Hebden Bridge, England

Last year the 1 in 12 club in Bradford hosted their version with a reading of Poetry as Insurgent Art, along with film clips and shared contributions from those gathered. 

This year David Mullin has organised the celebration to take place at In a Land Gallery and we are very happy to host! We’ll begin with a short film about Ferlinghetti, followed by a full reading of Poetry as Insurgent Art (it takes around 15–20 minutes). After a short break, there will be space for anyone who would like to read a favourite Ferlinghetti poem, or share work inspired by him, along with a few clips of Ferlinghetti reading his own poems. There will be wine, nibbles, and poetry in good company.

Booking is free, you can make contributions to the event on the night.

For more information and to RSVP go here.

20% Discount for Ferlinghetti Day!

Lights on the Walls of Life—a tribute anthology to Lawrence Ferlinghetti includes contributions from 74 poets, artists, photographers, and activists celebrating the life and work of this iconic man.

Softcover, 6" x 9", 200 pages. Published: 2022 by Jambu Press, a small independent press.

Book concept and design by author and poet Virginia Barrett. Edited by Bobby Coleman, a man of letters, long-time member of Conspiracy of Beards and an influential figure in cultural and political affairs for many decades.

To get your copy at the discounted price for Ferlinghetti Day, go to the publisher’s website here.