Kapwa Gardens to Close With Final Ube Event

When Kapwa Gardens opened in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District in 2021, the planter-filled, brightly painted, artificial turf–covered parking lot on Mission Street provided a rare safe gathering space in what was still the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the ensuing years, the 8,777-square-foot lot hosted over 264 public events, including yoga, concerts and martial arts classes.

Now, this version of Kapwa Gardens is coming to a close. It was always meant to be a temporary activation of the space; the city-owned parking lot is slated to become affordable senior rental housing. Saturday, July 26, will mark the gardens’ final event, the beloved ube festival Yum Yams.

The July 26 Yum Yams event will include DJ sets by Jon Reyes, ETIV and Trixamillion, and vendors such as Katha Collection, Hatzumomo, Arkipelago Books, Batok ni Kabuay, Made by Meech, Wyldflower and Common Thread Activation.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the Kapwa Gardens project, says Desi Danganan, whose nonprofit Kultivate Labs designed and programmed the space, was the connections formed between the 350 volunteers who built it out. “People were so desperate for connection that our volunteer network became like a social network,” he says. “I know of one volunteer in particular who would bring his first dates to our build days.”

And all that work won’t be in vain — most of the equipment and materials collected at Kapwa Gardens will go to Urban Alchemy’s new Oasis Park, coming to Sixth and Jessie Streets, and modeled after the nonprofit’s park at Turk and Hyde.

The one thing that hasn’t found a home yet, Danganan says, is Kapwa Gardens’ 40-foot, non-operable, mural-covered bus. “If you could put that in the article, that this big, beautiful bus that we put $30,000 into renovating to make it into a legit office and sound booth — it needs a home,” he pitches. He’s adamant the solar-powered bus not end up in the landfill.

It’s been a tumultuous time for Kultivate Labs. In early March, the nonprofit economic development and arts organization announced that they were pausing their Balay Kreative program, which provided studio space and grants to Filipino American artists. Republika, their planned marketplace and gallery, replacing Balay in the ground floor of the 5th and Mission Garage, has been delayed by cost increases caused by tariffs.

Earlier this month, though, the San Francisco Arts Commission announced Kultivate as a grantee. “That was a godsend,” Danganan says of the $100,000 grant. “That allows us to restart the Balay program over again, but we’re going to be finding a new site for that.”

Also restarting, eventually, will be Kapwa Gardens, this time at an empty lot at Fourth and Folsom. The site was originally planned for a housing development, but its location over the Central Subway line made building prohibitively expensive. The San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development has awarded a small grant to Kultivate Labs to flesh out their plan for Kapwa Gardens 2.0.

Kultivate will take with them everything they’ve learned in their five years on Mission Street, along with their favorite programs (Die Hard, a family friendly Easter egg hunt, will surely rise again).

Until then, Danganan sees the transfer of the equipment to Sixth Street as entirely in the spirit of the endeavor. “It’s really fulfilling one of the core principles of what Kapwa Gardens does — creating a healing space and being interconnected to your community,” he says.

Yum Yams 2025: A Final Community Gathering Celebrating 5 Years of Kapwa Gardens will take place at Kapwa Gardens (967 Mission St., San Francisco) on Saturday, July 26, 12–5 p.m. The event is free to attend.