Location of Comedy Day in Golden Gate Park Renamed in Honor of Robin Williams
Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park will be renamed after the late, great San Francisco comedian and Academy Award-winner, Robin Williams. The Recreation and Park Department made the announcement earlier this week, just in time for Comedy Day, which takes place on Sunday, September 17.
San Francisco hosts the professional comedy community annually on Comedy Day, a five-hour event in Golden Gate Park in which Robin Williams had previously participated.
With help from the Punch Line, Cobb’s Comedy Club and SF Sketchfest, this comedy fest is a fast-paced day of hilarity and community. It’s also noted as the longest-running, free outdoor comedy concert. This year the event features over 40 top performers from the Bay Area and beyond, each doing five or seven-minute sets.
Comedy Day was started in 1981 as a way for Bay Area comics to say thank you to comedy fans for their support and to The City that has nurtured so many comedians.
Chronicle Comedy Day, July 25, 1987. Photo Credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice
More about Robin Williams
Robin Williams, who starred in numerous movies with settings in the San Francisco region like the 1993 classic Mrs. Doubtfire, moved to the Bay Area when was 16 years old. He got an early start as a standup comedian performing in clubs in San Francisco before the hit TV series, Mork & Mindy helped ignite his critically-acclaimed TV and film career.Robin Williams has another San Francisco landmark named after him – the Robin Williams Tunnel (previously and informally referred to as the Waldo Tunnel). The rainbow-painted tunnel is located at the peak elevation along U.S. Route 101 between the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin City.
Robin Williams has another San Francisco landmark named after him – the Robin Williams Tunnel (previously and informally referred to as the Waldo Tunnel). The rainbow-painted tunnel is located at the peak elevation along U.S. Route 101 between the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin City.
After Robin Williams took his life on August 11, 2014, at the age 63, a petition was started on Change.org to rename the Waldo Tunnel to Robin Williams Tunnel. California Assemblyman Marc Levine submitted a bill after consulting with Williams’ family, which passed in the California State Assembly and the State Senate in 2015. The official sign was installed in 2016.
