Ken Kesey's original "Furthur" bus, the hand-painted 1939 International Harvester school bus that carried Kesey and the Merry Pranksters across the country in 1964, is leaving San Francisco, and Haight Street is throwing it a parade on the way out.
The Haight Street Art Center says the free send-off starts at 1:11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Haight and Stanyan streets. The bus will ride east on a flatbed truck, with a live band following on a second vehicle and playing the whole way.
The route
SFMTA says the convoy will travel east along Haight toward the art center near Laguna Street. SFGuide reports there will be a 30-minute outdoor concert at each of two stops along the way. The event needs a temporary closure of Haight Street and minor reroutes of the 7 Haight/Noriega and 37 Corbett, according to SFMTA.
Why it is leaving
SFMTA describes the event as a celebration of the bus's departure for storage and restoration. The bus was the centerpiece of the art center's Forever Grateful exhibition in Golden Gate Park, part of a two-part series honoring the Grateful Dead. The art center has also hosted a restoration benefit with members of the Merry Pranksters.
If you go
The send-off is free. Expect crowds and closures on Haight on Halloween afternoon, and plan on Muni detours. The same weekend, 18th Street in the Castro closes for the Halloween night market, and Sunday brings the Golden Gate Half Marathon closures.