Your next Muni vessel might look like an LSD sunshine daydream, as the 7-Haight/Noriega, 5-Fulton, and N-Judah lines now have these psychedelic themed transit vehicles to whisk people to and from Golden Gate Park.

We are now ten days from the very-much-ballyhooed Dead & Company concerts in Golden Gate Park (August 1-3), set to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. And we’ve all had long and strange trips while riding Muni, but this takes it to the next level. The Chronicle reports that on Tuesday morning, Muni rolled out Grateful Dead-themed buses and light-rail trains with psychedelic exterior takeover-wrapping, saying that each of these buses “looks more like an acid flashback,” and assures you that “you’re not tripping” if you see them. (Note: You still might be tripping, regardless!)

Here’s Mayor Daniel Lurie at his Tuesday morning press conference introducing the designs, which will be wrapped on vessels covering the 7-Haight/Noriega, 5-Fulton, and N-Judah lines. (Each of these lines goes to and from Golden Gate Park.) These vehicles entered service today, and the Chron says “The colorful buses will likely run through the rest of the summer.”

Lurie’s office said in a press release that “The ‘PsychideliBus’ and ‘TrippyTrain’ designs include iconic tie-dye, paisley, and 1960s and ‘70s design elements capturing the cultural phenomenon influenced by the Grateful Dead in San Francisco’s legendary Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.”

Here’s a look a full bus with the tripped-out design. Lurie’s release adds that “The 60th anniversary concert series is expected to increase transit ridership as concertgoers and fans take public transit to easily move to, from, and around San Francisco.”

Wait, will people who paid $635 for these tickets willingly be relegated to public transportation? They might, because Muni will be free all weekend to anyone who has tickets (and the concert route will likely be so packed that fare inspectors won’t even bother with those buses). Lurie’s office says that the free Muni deal is “In partnership with Another Planet Entertainment,” so it sounds like Another Planet kicked something in to sweeten this deal.

And what’s this tie-dye Muni t-shirt being held aloft by Lurie, and being worn by SFMTA director Julie Kirschbaum? Is this shirt available to the general public?

Yep, it’s called the “Psychedelic Muni Tie-Dye Shirt, Unisex” and it is available now in the Muni Store for $25, in sizes Small through 3X-Large.

There will probably be some complaints about the cost of this promotion, as unlike those Lunchables ads that covered buses in the 2022 back-to-school season, this is not a paid promotion. The Chronicle reports that SFMTA "paid for them from the agency’s marketing budget.”

But the cost was probably pretty marginal. It appears there are only three individual Muni vehicles with this wrap-around design. So that means if you are heading to Golden Gate Park for the Dead and Company shows, you are statistically unlikely to get one of these Dead-themed vehicles.

But if you’re going to those shows, there is a ‘high’ likelihood you will be experiencing some of the same hallucinations that inspired the design.

Related: Dead & Company Lined Up to Play In Golden Gate Park for Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary [SFist]

Image: @DanielLurie via Twitter