Host an Event in the Grove

The Grove is a living memorial and a national place of remembrance — first and foremost a space for quiet reflection, and also a place to gather, mark milestones, and honor the people we have lost. These policies help us welcome your gathering while protecting the Grove and everyone else in it that day.

Gatherings We Welcome

  • Memorial and remembrance services

  • Picnics and similar gatherings (e.g. ‘French Picnic in the Grove’)

  • Weddings, commitment ceremonies, and other family celebrations or rites of passage

  • Organizational use for lectures, music, dance, poetry, and spiritual gatherings

Event Spaces

The Grove's open heart — a broad, sunlit meadow ringed by mature trees and sloping gently toward the Redwood Grove. It's the most flexible of the Grove's spaces, holding memorial services, weddings, ceremonies, and community gatherings in a setting that feels both expansive and sheltered.
Grove Lawn
A flagstone terrace inscribed with thousands of names — those lost, those who loved them, and those who built this place. Gatherings here carry particular weight: name readings, dedications, World AIDS Day observances, and intimate ceremonies held quite literally among the people being remembered.
Circle of Friends
Coast redwoods rise over a soft, shaded floor of ferns, and the city goes quiet the moment you step in. The space has held music and dance as readily as meditation and spoken word — its canopy carries sound beautifully, making it well suited to performance and ceremony alike.
Redwood Grove

How to Reserve the Grove

Every event requires its own Site Use Application. Email mkennedy@aidsmemorial.org to confirm that your dateand activity are available, then complete and return the application that follows.

Please allow at least seven (7) business days for processing. We will notify you of the status and any remaining steps. So the Grove stays open to the public, reservations are limited to four hours or less unless arranged in advance.

FEES & DEPOSITS

  • A refundable security deposit is required for all gatherings, due two weeks before the event; applications are processed once it is received.

  • Site use fees are based on the size and impact of the event. A written quote and deposit amount follow your completed application.

  • Small memorial services carry no permit or site use fee, but still require an application, deposit, and release of liability. Donations are always welcome.

  • Larger groups and other special requests are reviewed case by case.

CONDITIONS OF USE

  • Food, catered or otherwise, is welcome. Barbecues are not permitted; the park has designated areas for them.

  • Beverages, including alcohol, are permitted under Recreation & Park rules; consumption may not involve minors orbecome unruly.

  • Amplified sound and music are permitted within Recreation & Park limits, covered in the permit process.

  • Candles and open flame require advance approval; San Francisco Fire and Police permits and fees may also apply.

  • Clean-up is the applicant's responsibility; all trash must leave the park and may not go in public receptacles.

  • Please monitor noise levels; others may be using nearby areas of the Grove for quiet reflection.

  • Vendor vehicle access is granted only after an onsite meeting with the vendor requiring access.

  • Any other request will be considered upon written request to the Grove office.

NO VEHICLES ARE PERMITTED WITHIN THE MEMORIAL AT ANY TIME

without prior written authorization from the Grove.

RECREATION & PARK PERMITS

For guidelines and added permits, contact San Francisco Recreation & Park.

 

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Reserved dates

Green blocks show the space and time already reserved. Other spaces on the same day may still be available. All dates are confirmed only after an approved Site Use Application. Times are Pacific.

REQUEST AN EVENT BOOKING >

Help Us Continue to Share the Story of HIV/AIDS

Help the Grove continue to provide a space for healing, hope, remembrance, and education for another 35 years by donating to the National AIDS Memorial:

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