Lights ON! Brings the BROADWAY Sign Back Over North Beach on October 15

SAN FRANCISCO — The Ramones, Blondie and the Dead Kennedys played Mabuhay Gardens at 443 Broadway. So did Devo, Patti Smith, the Go-Go’s, Black Flag, the Avengers and the Nuns. The Filipino supper club became one of San Francisco’s defining punk stages, and comedians Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg also made early appearances.

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, everyone is invited to Lights ON!, a celebration of the restored BROADWAY sign and the next chapter for the building beneath it. The night starts at 6 p.m. on the sidewalk at 435 Broadway, free and open to everyone; no ticket is needed. Restoration lead Michael Sturtz, Tom Watson of Mabuhay Gardens, and Andres Acosta of Lights ON Broadway will say a few words before the street counts down and the sign comes on.

From 7 to 9 p.m., the celebration moves upstairs to On Broadway, starting with a slideshow of every bulb dedicated on the sign so far. The evening includes live music and art, an energy healing and wellness table with Rosalyn of Live Heal Travel (LHT), a first look at new Mab programming, and a tribute for Filipino American History Month. Upstairs tickets start at $5, fees included; space is limited.

The team’s vision is to preserve the historic building, build a creative community around it, and give San Francisco artists a place to perform, learn and make work together. Tom Watson’s latest plans for Mabuhay Gardens include a museum and library, a community print club, flexible classroom space and a vinyl listening room, alongside live music and dance. These spaces are being developed as part of the building’s next chapter.

After years dark, the BROADWAY sign was restored by hand in work led by Michael Sturtz and funded by community gifts. Its bulbs are now being dedicated, one at a time, to the people and nights this city doesn’t want to forget. The building has held San Francisco’s culture since 1919: Italian mutual-aid societies, the Filipino Dimas-Alang Temple, Ginsberg’s Kaddish, the On Broadway Theatre and, fifty years ago this year, the punk stage of Mabuhay Gardens.

Headlining the upstairs celebration is Michael Brunswick, a performance artist and owner of Ace Tiger Gallery, who is flying in from Torrance, California. In his live canvas performance, he paints with the canvas itself rather than a brush. Explore his artistic process and follow @michaelbrunswick on Instagram.

Live music comes from GamperDrums Live with ADAPTYVE: Simon Russell, keys & vocals; Brian Pardo, guitar; Ryan Price, bass; and Chris Gamper, drums. Boogie Racers will present a showcase featuring Hot Wheels tracks, RC cars and dancing, plus a special guest race with prizes.

“San Francisco once had an independent stage on nearly every block. Most went dark. This one didn’t,” said Andres Acosta, Lights ON Broadway Campaign Director. “When the sign is full, every bulb overhead will be somebody’s story. That’s a neighborhood turning its own lights back on.”

“I rewired, scraped, and repainted this sign bulb by bulb to bring it back to life the way it looked in the sixties,” said Michael Sturtz, who led the restoration. “The Bay Area has been losing creative spaces, live music venues, and theatres at an alarming rate. This is how we keep the magic alive.”

Gifts are tax deductible, received by Point Foundation, a 501(c)(3), for its FAB MAB restricted fund. “Point Foundation is honored to receive these gifts on behalf of a building that has held San Francisco’s culture for over a century,” said Danica Remy, President of Point Foundation. “Every contribution supports the restoration and community life of 435 / 443 Broadway — including the sign overhead — and preserves this history for future generations.”

Event poster

Details at lightsonbroadway.org/lighting. Tickets at Eventbrite.