media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc.
David Perry | (415) 676-7007 | news@davidperry.com

San Francisco Maritime National Park Association to Host Memorial Day Lost Boat Ceremony May 25 Aboard Historic USS Pampanito

Public Invited to Free Waterfront Ceremony Honoring Submariners Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Ceremony Includes Color Guard, Guest Speakers, Roll Call of Submarines on “Eternal Patrol,” Bell Tolling, Flag Dip, and Flower Tribute

21 May 2026 – San Francisco, CA: This Memorial Day, San Francisco will pause at the water’s edge to remember those who served beneath it. On Monday, May 25, 2026, from 10am to 12pm, the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association, the crew of the historic USS Pampanito, and the USSVI Mare Island Base will host the Memorial Day Lost Boat Ceremony aboard the USS Pampanito at Historic Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Free and open to the public, the ceremony will honor submariners who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those lost during World War II and in peacetime service. The Lost Boat Ceremony is a time-honored tradition established by World War II submarine veterans and centered on the solemn roll call of submarines on “eternal patrol.” During the ceremony, each lost submarine’s name and fate are recounted, followed by the tolling of a muted bell and a ceremonial flag dip.

“Memorial Day asks us to remember not only the scale of sacrifice, but the individual lives, families, and communities forever changed by service,” said Darlene Plumtree, CEO of the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. “To hold this ceremony aboard USS Pampanito — herself a veteran of war and now a living classroom on San Francisco’s waterfront — is profoundly meaningful. We invite the public, veterans, families, and all who value our maritime heritage to join us in honoring those who remain on eternal patrol.”

The ceremony will include a color guard, guest speakers including Navy veterans and local officials, and an opportunity for attendees to drop flowers into the water in remembrance of lost boats and those who served aboard them.

A Balao-class submarine, USS Pampanito served in the Pacific during World War II and is now preserved at Fisherman’s Wharf as a National Historic Landmark and memorial. As one of San Francisco’s most significant maritime treasures, Pampanito offers visitors a powerful connection to the service and sacrifice of the men who served in the United States Submarine Service.

“San Francisco’s waterfront has always been a place of departure, return, memory, and tribute,” Plumtree continued. “On Memorial Day, aboard USS Pampanito, we are reminded that freedom has been defended not only on land and in the air, but also in the silence and danger beneath the sea.”

Members of the public, veterans, families, and visitors to San Francisco are invited to attend.

About the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association:

The San Francisco Maritime National Park Association supports education, public programming, historic preservation, and philanthropic initiatives benefiting the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Through programs, partnerships, and community engagement, the Association helps preserve and share the maritime stories, vessels, landmarks, and traditions that shaped San Francisco and continue to inspire visitors, students, and residents today.

Event Details

What: Memorial Day Lost Boat Ceremony 2026

When: Monday, May 25, 2026, 10am – 12pm

Where: USS Pampanito, Historic Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco

Cost: Free

Tickets: https://maritime.org/event/lostboatceremony/

Today on the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Mario Mieli (May 21, 1952 – March 12, 1983). 

An Italian activist, writer, playwright and queer theorist, Mieli was one of the foundational voices of Italy’s gay liberation movement. A founder of F.U.O.R.I. and a fierce advocate for sexual liberation, he challenged social, political and psychiatric systems that sought to silence LGBTQ+ people. 

His writing, including Elementi di critica omosessuale, helped shape modern queer theory and remains a landmark in the struggle for liberation, dignity and self-determination. 

www.RainbowHonorWalk.org

#RainbowHonorWalk #MarioMieli #LGBTQHistory #QueerLiberation #LGBTQRights

Media Contact:
David Perry, David Perry & Associates, Inc.  / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Fisherman’s Wharf Turns Jefferson Street Into a Waterfront Playground
for “Play on the Bay”

Free, Family-Friendly Event on Saturday, June 6 Launches First Fisherman’s Wharf Entertainment Zone Celebration with Music, Art, Kids Activities,
Giveaways and Live Performances

20 May 2026 – San Francisco, CA:   “The light of San Francisco,” wrote famed poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, “is a sea light / an island light.”  On Saturday, June 6, Fisherman’s Wharf will celebrate that unmistakable waterfront spirit with Play on the Bay, a free, family-friendly afternoon of music, art, kids activities, giveaways and live performances along Jefferson Street from Al Scoma Way to Hyde Street.  The inaugural event to kick-off Fisherman’s Wharf Entertainment Zone, Play on the Bay will transform one of San Francisco’s most iconic waterfront corridors into an afternoon of music, art, giveaways, kids activities, live performance and community celebration.

Play on the Bay will feature a lively mix of Bay Area creative talent, including Oogubi sensory play and family experiences, live art from acclaimed San Francisco muralist Apexer / Ricardo Richey, and high-energy performances by Oakland’s TURFinc, the dance and entertainment company rooted in the Bay Area’s internationally recognized turf dance culture.

“Fisherman’s Wharf is one of San Francisco’s most iconic destinations and Play on the Bay is an opportunity to showcase this area to residents and visitors alike,” said Mayor Lurie. “The new Fisherman’s Wharf entertainment zone is an important step in bringing new energy to our waterfront while supporting the businesses, artists, and communities that make this neighborhood so special. I’m excited for Play on the Bay and the many events this entertainment zone will bring to San Francisco.” 

The event comes as Fisherman’s Wharf continues its energetic resurgence, building on new public art, enhanced pedestrian amenities, new food and beverage offerings, and the broader Fisherman’s Wharf Forward initiative led by the Port of San Francisco.

“Play on the Bay is about celebrating the Wharf at its most authentic and fun — families, music, art, performers, food and beverages from Wharf businesses, our beloved working waterfront, and the beautiful Bay, ,” said Bri Maughan, Executive Director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District. “The launch of our first entertainment zone event is yet another way we are bringing people together and creating new reasons for San Franciscans and visitors to come down to the waterfront.”

Activities will include a dedicated Kids Zone, music, giveaways, public art, live dance performances and pop-up moments designed for all ages. Oogubi will bring its signature imaginative family programming; Apexer will add a bold visual arts presence rooted in San Francisco’s street-art tradition; and TURFinc will showcase the movement, rhythm and athleticism of Bay Area dance culture.

“Play on the Bay promises to be a fun-filled afternoon and the perfect way to kick off summer in San Francisco,” said Danny Sauter District 3 Supervisor.”  I encourage everyone to join for family-friendly activities that will allow San Franciscans of all ages to reconnect with our beloved waterfront.”

“The Port of San Francisco is proud to partner in the delivery of public events that reconnect people to the waterfront while contributing to the economic vitality of Fisherman’s Wharf,” said Michael Martin, Acting Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco.  “I applaud Mayor Lurie and Supervisor Sauter for bringing an Entertainment Zone to Fisherman’s Wharf. Play on the Bay is inclusive, creative programming that makes this neighborhood such an enduring part of San Francisco’s identity – honoring its maritime heritage while inviting the next generation to experience it in new ways.” 

Few neighborhoods tell San Francisco’s story as vividly as Fisherman’s Wharf. What began as a working waterfront shaped by Italian fishing families, crab stands, seafood markets and maritime commerce has evolved into one of the city’s most visited destinations — a place where historic vessels, street performers, restaurants, public art and wildlife all share the same spectacular edge of the Bay.

Play on the Bay continues that tradition with a contemporary twist: a joyful afternoon designed to welcome families, support local businesses, spotlight Bay Area artists and performers, and create a new annual-style moment of civic pride at the waterfront.

Event Details:
What: Play on the Bay
When: Saturday, June 6, 2026, 12noon – 4pm
Where: Jefferson Street from Al Scoma Way to Hyde Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Admission: Free and family-friendly
Featuring: Kids Zone, music, giveaways, live performances, art, Oogubi, Apexer / Ricardo Richey, TURFinc and Fisherman’s Wharf businesses

For more information, visit www.fishermanswharf.org.

About the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District:
Established in 2005, the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District is a nonprofit public benefit corporation dedicated to promoting, advancing, and maintaining Fisherman’s Wharf as a world-class waterfront destination. The FWCBD works to enhance public spaces, support local businesses, improve the visitor experience, and celebrate the history, culture and vitality of San Francisco’s most visited neighborhood.

About Fisherman’s Wharf:
Fisherman’s Wharf is one of San Francisco’s most iconic and beloved destinations, known for its historic fishing fleet, seafood restaurants, waterfront views, Pier 39 sea lions, family attractions, maritime heritage and enduring role as a gathering place for locals and visitors from around the world.

Media Contact:
David Perry & Associates, Inc / David Perry / (415) 676-7007

International Pride Orchestra Makes Historic Texas Debut at
Houston’s Wortham Center, Following New State Drag Ban

Historic Texas Debut on June 3, 2026 Benefits the Montrose Center, Houston’s Premier LGBTQ+ Community Organization

18 May 2026 – Houston, Texas: In a rehearsal room in San Francisco just three years ago, something remarkable happened. More than 80 musicians, queer people and their allies, gathered from around the world, lifted their instruments and played together for the first time. For many, it was the first time they had ever made music as their full, authentic selves. Those first historic notes were the start of something special that continues to this day.

That orchestra was the International Pride Orchestra (IPO). And on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m., IPO brings that spirit to Houston for its Texas debut, a one-night-only concert at the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center, 501 Texas Ave, with a portion of ticket proceeds benefiting the Montrose Center, Houston’s largest and most beloved LGBTQ+ community center.

The concert arrives at a pivotal moment for Texas and for LGBTQ+ Americans everywhere. Just weeks after Texas enacted one of the nation’s most targeted drag performance bans, a law years in the making, IPO is bringing its 85+ LGBTQ+ musicians and allies to the Lone Star State to make an unambiguous statement: queer artistry cannot and will not be silenced. The orchestra comes to Houston fresh off a celebrated performance at the Music Center at Strathmore as part of WorldPride 2025 in Washington DC. 

The program IPO has assembled for Houston is both sweeping and intimate, a journey through American music and beyond that speaks to endurance, identity, and joy including music by Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Simon, Gabriella Lena Frank, and Reza Vali, among others. The concert closes with Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland.

“We built this program around the idea that visibility is not one-dimensional,” said IPO’s Founder and Music Director Michael Roest. “Queer life contains joy, grief, resistance, humor, beauty, anger, love, and hope. This program reflects the fullness of that experience, and we are honored to bring it to Houston.”

The program will be led by a distinguished trio of conductors including Christine Brandes, guest conductor at Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera and Chicago Opera Theater, Robert Moody, the music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and Arizona MusicFest, and Michael Roest, the orchestra’s visionary founder, who has guided the ensemble from the ground up. Together, they have curated a program that confronts, celebrates, and reflects the realities of the world around us.

“Selecting Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait for orchestra and narrator was a conscious choice made against the backdrop of the current assaults on the fundamental pillars of our nation as we approach its 250th anniversary,” Brandes said. “It is a powerful and moving work, made even more so by having Davóne Tines as our narrator. We in the queer community must rise up and loudly say, ‘This is what America and democracy look like.’”

Draped in glamour, chaos, and pure theatrical magic, San Francisco–based drag icon Peaches Christ will take center stage as host for the evening, delivering the signature high camp and razor-sharp humor that only Peaches can bring.

“Being part of the International Pride Orchestra has become a personal PRIDE highlight for me each year,” Peaches said. “It’s a space where openly queer musicians can take the stage, not only with excellence and pride, but for an audience that recognizes itself in them. And when this kind of work is presented in places like Texas, at a moment when trans and drag communities are being directly targeted through legislation and rhetoric, it takes on an even deeper resonance.”

Joining Peaches is acclaimed bass-baritone Davóne Tines, heralded by The New Yorker as an artist “changing what it means to be a classical singer and one of the most powerful voices of our time.” Tines is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by leading composers, while exploring the social issues of today. alsoanoperasinger.org

The concert will also highlight the vital work of the Montrose Center (montrosecenter.org), which has served Houston’s LGBTQ+ community since 1978. A portion of ticket proceeds from the evening will directly support the Center’s wide range of services aimed at empowering LGBTQ+ individuals and their families to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

The concert also carries a particular resonance for Houston itself. Inspired by her own experience as an IPO participant, Houston musician Ruby Ortiz launched the first-ever Houston Pride Orchestra, a direct and living legacy of what happens when queer musicians are given a stage and told: you belong here. “The International Pride Orchestra changed my life,” Ortiz said. “It showed me the kind of community I had never experienced as a queer musician in Texas, and I realized that the orchestra I’d been waiting for someone else to create was something I needed to help start.” That spirit is what IPO has always been about, and it’s what brings the orchestra to the Wortham Center on June 3rd.

CONCERT DETAILS:
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center, 501 Texas Ave, Houston, TX
Tickets: Starting at $28.75 with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Montrose Center
Purchase: performingartshouston.org/events/

Learn more: internationalprideorchestra.org

Photos/Logos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KliemqPnVuIs4BY6y-NO4f2SDg1Scxnc?usp=sharing