About this Event
On June 29, 1776 — just five days before the Declaration of Independence was adopted on the other side of the continent — Spanish missionaries held the first Catholic Mass on a windswept peninsula that the Ohlone people had called home for thousands of years. Many historians consider the event and day as the “birthday” of San Francisco as a place.
Exactly 250 years later, we gather just a few hundred feet from that same spot to ask: what did that founding really mean? And what does it still mean today — for the city, for the United States, and for the Ohlone people whose way of life was forever changed by it?
This event kicks off a weeklong series reflecting on the 250th anniversary of San Francisco, the U.S.A., and a look ahead at the next 250 years. And there's no better person to start that conversation than Andrew Galvan, curator of Mission Dolores and a direct descendant of the Ohlone people who were present at that very founding moment.
Galvan holds a perspective that is truly one of a kind. He is simultaneously a steward of the Catholic mission that reshaped his ancestors' lives and a living carrier of the Ohlone culture that predates it by millennia. He'll take us back to June 1776 — to the establishment of Misión San Francisco de Asís (MIssion Dolores)— and trace how that pivotal moment set the stage for the rise of one of the most extraordinary cities in the world, and the beginning of a new era for his people. No honest celebration of San Francisco or the U.S.'s 250th birthday is complete without this history.
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Perks for Paid Tickets
- Show your ticket at the Cafe bar to receive
- 18% off beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic cocktails.
- Offer valid only for paid ticket holders.
Manny’s never turns away anyone for lack of funds. If you need a free ticket, just email "grapefruit" along with the event title to [email protected]
Want to support community members? By purchasing a "Pay It Forward" ticket you will allow us to provide free tickets to those who may not be able to afford entry otherwise and ensure we can create a diverse socio-economic audience that represents San Francisco.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Manny's, 3092 16th Street, San Francisco, United States
USD 8.88 to USD 61.80












