A trio of events across the city will bring well over a million people to SF this week, making area traffic — a mess even on the best days — even worse than usual.
First there's Fleet Week, which KRON 4 reminds us will "draw hundreds of thousands of people to San Francisco."
It kicked off Sunday morning, when the USS Essex arrived at Pier 30/32, and will continue with the Blue Angels' arrival at 5 p.m. today. It's the Angels' air show that promises to have the greatest impact on traffic, as thousands will flock to the Marina to watch that event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., but the influx in tourists is expected to increase cars on SF streets all week long.
Then there's Oracle Open World, which also kicked off downtown on Sunday, closing Howard Street between Third and Fourth in the process.
At the opener, Mayor Ed Lee reportedly said "60,000 people are in San Francisco" for the event. Those 60K will remain through Thursday, when the conference on the knuckle-whiteningly thrilling technologies Oracle provides wraps up. The activities are centered around the Moscone South area, making an already difficult area to traverse even more gridlocked. If you can, avoid, avoid, avoid.
Finally, there's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the hour-by-hour calendar for which we brought you on Friday. The free, three-day music event takes place in Golden Gate Park and attracts over 750,000 concert goers. While some of those folks live in the neighboring areas of the Richmond or Sunset, the vast majority will be coming from elsewhere, making streets near the park a real pain to navigate, especially in the evenings as the shows end. HSB runs from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 11-7 Saturday and Sunday.
All in all, warns ABC 7, "an estimated 1.5 million people" are expected to descend on SF for the three events. According to the SFPD, "drivers can expect long delays around the city," with public transit recommended and "if you must bring your car, pack your patience." My suggestion? If you can (and not all of us have that luxury!) bike, walk, or stay near home.
Related: No, It's Not Just You: Bay Area Traffic Reaches Record Highs