A one-year anniversary celebration of The Match Book, which includes an evening walking tour from the Tenderloin to Union Square.

Join us for an evening tour through San Francisco’s historic corridors between the Tenderloin and Union Square. This is a brand new tour as a follow-up to last year’s Tenderloin Matchbook-Neon tour. Randall Homan and Al Barna from San Francisco Neon and Katie Conry from the Tenderloin Museum will lead a walking exploration of Tenderloin matchbooks associated with legacy businesses and neon signs. Just like matchbooks, historic neon signs are a fascinating synecdoche of the small businesses they represent, and a window to the past explored through material culture.

The tour features forgotten storefronts that are remembered vividly through vintage matchbooks. As twilight falls, the tour flows past a vivid collection of neon signs that serve as advertising and illuminated local landmarks.

Preceding the tour, patrons will have the opportunity to appreciate the art of the match book every day: in honor of its one-year anniversary, copies of the Tenderloin Museum's book, The Match Book, which resurrects the Tenderloin’s overlooked history of restaurants, bars, hotels and other business establishments through these daily objects, will be signed and made available for purchase —just in time for the holidays.

Tour starts with a brief orientation about the Match Book project at the Tenderloin Museum and ends at Union Square. Book early, space is limited.

Proudly in partnership with San Francisco Neon.

Doors: 6 p.m.

Book signing reception: 6 - 6:30 p.m.

Tour: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.