SF nonprofit Illuminate the Arts is pulling out the laser cannons again for an exciting display in Nob Hill this weekend. The display titled Window will shine 12 colorful lasers from the top of the Fairmont Hotel through the rose window at Grace Cathedral from sundown to sunrise July 27-29, 2023.
Illuminate the Arts created a viewing guide for ways to best see Window. Grace Cathedral will host a one-hour viewing from 9-10pm all three nights (fee for Friday night) where you can listen to live musical performances and watch the lasers move in real time to the music. At the Fairmont Hotel you can see where the lasers originate and indulge in an “Awe-tini” to commemorate the installation, and at the Top of the Mark you can enjoy the view from above while sipping on a “Laserita.” Illuminate also recommends heading to Huntington Park in front of Grace Cathedral to enjoy the show. If you get pics, make sure to tag them with #SummerOfAwe or #NobHillWindow (…and #MySecretSF while you’re at it, we’d love to share!)
Following the success of Welcome, the four-mile laser rainbow flag that lit up SF’s Market Street on Pride weekend, local nonprofit Illuminate the Arts is maxing out those laser cannons for even more light displays this summer in what they’re calling the Summer of Awe. They recently lit up Sutro Tower with red, white, and blue lasers from July 4-8 in a display called loveAbove, and Coit Tower with shifting colorful lasers from July 14-16 in a display called Candle. This weekend’s display at Grace Cathedral and the Fairmont Hotel is the final one in the series.
Grace Cathedral has already worked with Illuminate the Arts in the past for its captivating Grace Light installation. The impressive building makes for a breathtaking backdrop for light installations and projections.
The four-weekend Summer of Awe is meant as a free and accessible way for San Franciscans to appreciate the city’s beauty and creative flair. “We’re so focused on all the haters and all the things wrong, and there are many, that we forget the amazing things about San Francisco,” Illuminate board member Patricia Wilson told the Chronicle. “It’s a beacon of hope.”
Illuminate the Arts may sound familiar for its efforts to re-light the Bay Bridge, which went dark just a few months ago due to lack of funds. They’re also the organization behind Golden Gate Park’s free Bandshell concert series Illuminate Live and the Golden Mile on JFK Drive, which was recently extended until 2024.