WorldStrides Heritage Performance Destination Presentation San Francisco

San Francisco The San Francisco Heritage Festival allows groups to combine a marvelous music educational experience with a variety of rich cultural and historic sights. The festival hotels and venues are located in the suburbs south of San Francisco in the Santa Clara area near Great America Theme Park. (approximately 40 miles south of downtown San Francisco) A day pass to Great America is included in the festival package and is the site of the Awards Ceremony on Saturday night. The Destination Specialist will advise groups on how best to plan their itineraries so they can experience the sights, the sounds and the tastes of San Francisco while the Host Festival Director together with our team of adjudicators provide an unparalleled musical experience.

San Francisco Voted one the best cities in the world to visit, San Francisco has an enjoyable climate, a beautiful bay, and one of the most distinctive cultures in the United States. San Francisco was settled by the Spanish in 1776 where a mission was established named for Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth and prominence. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco quickly rebuilt and has since become a popular international tourist destination.

San Francisco San Francisco is rich in musical history with a broad range of musical taste. From the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, home of the San Francisco Symphony, to the corner of Haight and Ashbury, one of the pillars of Rock and Roll, Heritage Festival groups make their own musical history on their festival tour to San Francisco.

San Francisco Sightseeing Alcatraz Alcatraz Island, sometimes referred by its pop-culture name, The Rock, is a small island located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963. Alcatraz became famous for housing such notable criminals as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service and is open to the public. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 39, at Fisherman’s Wharf.

San Francisco Sightseeing Fisherman’s Wharf Fisherman’s Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction encompassing the northern waterfront area of San Francisco. It is best known for being the location of Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, and restaurants and stands that serve fresh seafood, most notably Dungeness crab and clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl. Fisherman’s Wharf plays host to a wide variety of street performers, perhaps most notably, the World Famous Bushman, who sits behind some branches and startles people who walk by. He never fails to draw a crowd and has been an entertaining fixture of Fisherman’s Wharf for over 25 years.

San Francisco Sightseeing Pier 39 Pier 39 is a shopping center on Fisherman’s Wharf popular among tourists. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3-D rides, and views of dozens of California sea lions sleeping and playing on the docks of the Pier 39 marina. From the pier, one can see Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. Ferry excursions for Alcatraz depart from Pier 39.

San Francisco Sightseeing Ghiradelli Square Ghiradelli Square is another shopping center on Fisherman’s Wharf popular among tourists. In 1893, Domingo Ghiradelli purchased the entire city block to make it the headquarters of the Ghiradelli Chocolate Company. In the early 1960’s, the company was purchased, which resulted in a moving of the headquarters and putting the square up for sale. The square was purchased by a local San Franciscan in order to preserve its history. It was converted into a shopping center and once featured over 40 specialty shops and restaurants, in addition to the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, known for its world famous ice cream sundaes. Ghiradelli Square is undergoing an extensive renovation with a new selection of shops and restaurants being added. The Chocolate Shop still remains and draws many visitors for a sweet taste of Ghiradelli Chocolate.

San Francisco Sightseeing Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, or the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip, to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937 and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco.

San Francisco Sightseeing Bay Bridge The Bay Bridge (legally the James “Sunny Jim” Rolph Bridge) is a multi-structure bridge complex that links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Conceived as early as the gold rush days, construction on the bridge did not begin until 1933. It opened for traffic in 1936, 6 months before the Golden Gate Bridge. The Bay Bridge consists of two major bridges connecting each shore with Yerba Buena Island in between Oakland and San Francisco. It is a double-decker bridge with traffic moving in one direction above and the other direction below.

San Francisco Sightseeing Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is a large urban park consisting of 1017 acres of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape, but 174 acres larger than Central Park in New York City. With 13 million visitors annually, Golden Gate Park is the third most visited city park in the United States. (behind Central Park and Chicago’s Lincoln Park)

San Francisco Sightseeing The Presidio The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. It has been a fortified location since 1776 when the Spanish made it the military center of the expansion in the area. In 1995, it was closed as a military base, ending 219 years of military use and beginning its next phase of mixed commercial and public use. It is required to be self supporting by 2013. The park is characterized by many wooded areas, hills and scenic vistas overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It was recognized by Congress as a National Historic Landmark in 1962. The Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum, is located in the Palace of Fine Arts inside the Presidio.

San Francisco Sightseeing The Exploratorium The Exploratorium is a public science museum, located at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco’s Presidio. It is one of San Francisco’s most popular museums, drawing over 500,000 people each year. Founded in 1969 by the physicist Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, the Exploratorium is dedicated to teaching science through hands-on exhibits. Many of its exhibits are created by visual and performing artists as well as scientists and educators. Exhibit designs created at the Exploratorium are often duplicated for other science museums worldwide.

San Francisco Sightseeing Coit Tower Coit Tower was built atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city. Lillie bequeathed one-third of her estate to the City of San Francisco “to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved.” Contrary to popular belief, the tower was not designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle, although Coit had a strong admiration for the San Francisco fire fighters of the day. The tower is 210 feet of unpainted, reinforced concrete offering a breath-taking view of the entire San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco Sightseeing Lombard Street Lombard Street is an east-west street in San Francisco famous for having a steep, one-block section that consists of tight hairpin turns. This section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets has 8 sharp turns that have earned the street the distinction of being “the crookedest street in the world.” The crooked section , which is about ¼ mile long, is reserved for one-way traffic and is paved with red bricks. The speed limit here is a mere 5 mph and attracts as much pedestrian traffic as it does vehicular traffic.

San Francisco Sightseeing Chinatown San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest and largest Chinatown in the United States. Established in the 1850’s, it is one of the largest and most prominent centers of Chinese activity outside of China. It continues to be a major tourist attraction – drawing more visitors each year than the Golden Gate Bridge. Groups enjoy shopping and experiencing an authentic Chinese meal.

San Francisco Sightseeing Cable Cars The San Francisco cable car system has become an icon of the Bay Area. Cable cars operate on two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and a third route along California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, their small service area and premium fares for single rides make them more of a tourist attraction. The San Francisco cable cars are one of the two moving National Historic Landmarks. (along with Mystic Seaport Museum’s steamship Sabino in Connecticut)

San Francisco Sightseeing Union Square San Francisco’s Union Square is a 2.6 acres plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets. It also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks. The name “Union Square” stems from the fact that the area was once used for rallies and support for the Union Army during the Civil War. Today, this one-block plaza and nearby area is one of the largest collection of department stores, upscale boutiques, art galleries and salons in the western United States, which continue to Union Square a major tourist draw, a vital place in downtown San Francisco, and one of the world’s premier shopping districts.

San Francisco Sightseeing Giants Baseball Many groups enjoy taking in a Giants baseball game at beautiful AT&T Park. Some have been able to perform the national anthem. (The Oakland A’s also play across the bay and typically have an alternating travel schedule with the Giants, meaning that one of the two teams is usually always in town.)

San Francisco Popular Culture Food There are a number of foods that have become associated with San Francisco over the years. Though it has nothing to do with the culture, and everything to do with the location of original company headquarters, Rice A Roni has become known as “the San Francisco treat.” However, the real treats of San Francisco are found in its sourdough, its clam chowder, its Dungeness crabs, and its Ghiradelli Chocolate.

San Francisco Popular Culture Television Due to its unique culture and landscape, San Francisco has been chosen for the setting of several films and television programs that have become a part of American pop culture. Some of the more popular programs over the years have been: Charmed Crazy Like a Fox Dharma & Greg The Doris Day Show Eli Stone Falcon Crest Full House Ironside McMillan and Wife Monk Party of Five The Streets of San Francisco Suddenly Susan Too Close for Comfort

San Francisco Popular Culture Movies Among the notable films set in San Francisco are: 48 Hours The Birds Birdman of Alcatraz Big Trouble in Little China Bullitt Dirty Harry Escape from Alcatraz Foul Play Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner The Joy Luck Club Jagged Edge The Maltese Falcon Mrs. Doubtfire The Presidio The Princess Diaries The Pursuit of Happiness The Rock Sneakers The Towering Inferno Vertigo The Wedding Planner

San Francisco California’s Great America Included in the festival package, is a day pass to California’s Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara. The park pass is valid for Saturday or Sunday on most festival weekends. Great America is also the location of our Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening. (The first, and sometimes the second weekend of each festival season occurs prior to the official opening of the theme park. On those weekends, the package price is reduced to reflect the deduction of the park and the awards ceremony dinner/dance is held in a hotel ballroom.)

Your Personal Team A knowledgeable and friendly Festival Selection Advisor is your first point of contact, helping you select the ideal performance opportunity and location for your group. A helpful Destination Specialist focuses on the logistical details of your festival – from making hotel reservations to arranging additional activities – so you are free to concentrate on your group’s performance. Once your festival day arrives, a courteous Host Festival Director welcomes you to the event. This person is also available in the months preceding the festival to answer any questions you may have regarding your festival, equipment needs, or performance schedule. Lynall Pitts Festival Selection Advisor Kerri Ewing Destination Specialist Kyle Naylor Host Festival Director *For the specific individuals who will work with you, please contact WorldStrides Heritage Performance.

San Francisco Festival Venues Instrumental Site Foothill College’s Smithwick Theater 12345 El Monte Road Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 (650) 949-7252 *Venues are subject to change.

San Francisco Festival Venues Choral Site Cubberley Theater 4000 Middlefield Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 424-0572 *Venues are subject to change.

Festival of Gold Ensembles are invited to perform at Festival of Gold after they have proven their musical talents. They do so by achieving a Gold or Superior rating at a Heritage Festival or state venue. At FOG, students showcase their talents on some of the nation’s finest stages.

Festival of Gold Performance Venue St. Ignatius Church 650 Parker Ave. San Francisco, CA *Venues are subject to change.

Inclusions Performance in a national music festival Positive, constructive adjudication with taped and written comments On-stage mini clinic Awards dinner and presentation Quality hotel accommodations Gift and group photo for the director Commemorative gift for each student Professional performance recording Liability, health, and accident insurance for all travelers One free participant for every 25 packages purchased Free professional development for directors Opportunity for directors to earn graduate credit Free high school academic credit for students *Inclusions for Festival of Gold may vary and are subject to change.