What's being billed as the largest piece of public art ever to be installed in the history of Golden Gate Park is going to debut later this month along JFK Promenade.

It's full title is "Naga & the Captainess," and it originally debuted at Burning Man 2024. The 25-foot-high, 100-foot-long sea creature sculpture, named Naga, is being installed at Rainbow Falls Pond with the help of Illuminate, the organization behind the Bay Lights, the rainbow "Gaysers," and 0ther illuminated public artworks around SF.

Once installed, the piece will be the largest public art piece ever to appear in Golden Gate Park, Illuminate says.

Where Naga appeared to be "swimming" in the Playa dust last year, this installation will find the creature actually coming out of the water at Rainbow Falls Pond.

"We do this not because it is easy, but because it is difficult," says Illuminate founder Ben Davis, speaking to KRON4.

The project is expected to cost around $400,000, about 80% of which is already raised. But Illuminate is still seeking $50,000 in donations to complete the task.

The piece was created by artists Cjay Roughgarden, Stephanie Shipman, and Jaquelyn Scott, and consists of 5,000 hand-forged iridescent scales on five pieces of serpent body, which can be lit from within at night. Also, the serpent can blow bubbles from its nose.

Roughgarden, who originally had the vision for the serpent, says the creature was inspired by her favorite childhood book, Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent.

"We want this to be a space where people gather, linger, and dream,” said Shipman, speaking to KRON4. "We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of the city, the volunteers, and the entire park community."

The installation will be reportedly complete, with the help of volunteers, in time for a family-friendly opening reception on July 26, from 10 am to noon. A nighttime lighting reception will then take place from 7:30 to 9:30 pm on July 28.