Portola Festival of 1909

The exhibition Portola Festival of 1909: A Party with a Purpose closes this Friday, January 8, 2010.  Please come to the 6th floor of the Main Library to view the exhibit that local historian John Freeman curated in partnership with the San Francisco History Center.

The Portola Festival of 1909 was a grand celebration to declare that San Francisco had rebuilt and was ready for business and tourists after the 1906 earthquake and fire. On the 100th anniversary of this five day spectacle of parades and parties, this exhibition features photographs and artifacts from the festive event. An accompanying video highlights the participation of local and international Chinese and Japanese communities.

If the exhibition piques your curiosity to learn more about the festival, please visit the San Francisco History Center either in-person or online. In-person, browse the Portola Festival, San Francisco, October 19 - 23, 1909 Official Souvenir Program, files about the Portola Festival in the San Francisco History Center's Vertical Files Collection, and postcards and photo-postcards available through the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection.  Online, view digitized photographs of the Portola Festival and read the day-to-day account of the events--from fireworks to parades---via the San Francisco Historical Chronicle database (to access the database from home, you will need a San Francisco Public Library card ).