Harrington Park has been closed for its refresh since April 6, 2026, and the City expects the work to finish in early 2027. That puts the whole fall calendar on Laurel Street, from the Art & Wine Faire through Night of Holiday Lights, on the far side of a construction fence. Over the past six months the City has moved the park's ordinary jobs, one by one, to other spots downtown. Seating went one place, crowds another, the market and the public art somewhere else again. This fall is the first full season to run on that arrangement.
What the fence actually closed off
Crews work 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The project removed the four public parking spaces behind the park and is turning them into a drop-off and loading zone. Construction vehicles come in through the alley behind Laurel, entering and leaving from Cherry and Olive Streets, and the City has kept customer access to the Laurel storefronts open the whole time.
The park's contents went elsewhere first. Planters, benches and signage came out between April 1 and April 3. Two crepe myrtles were replanted near the Burton Park playground and two camellias near its field, and five more camellias went to the City Hall dog park. The memorial brick plaques are in storage, and the City says every one will be reinstalled, with room for new bricks in the redesigned layout.
Some of the work will never be visible. In late June, crews put Silva Cells under the park. They are underground structures that give tree roots space to grow and that capture and filter stormwater. The City's stated payoff is larger trees and more shade on this block in the years ahead.
Where the park's jobs went
Once the fence went up, the park's everyday uses moved to four other places.
Sitting. Adirondack chairs appeared on Laurel Street after Hometown Days in May. The City pitched them as a place to eat takeout or rest between errands. More went in on August 18.
Gathering. The Wheeler Plaza parking lot at 650 Walnut Street became the place for crowds. Earth Day filled Wheeler Plaza and Laurel on April 19. A rainy April 10 Silent Disco was held there. On June 12, about 500 fans came to Wheeler Plaza to watch the USA play Paraguay in the World Cup. The City encouraged people to bring takeout from downtown restaurants. A second watch party for USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina used the same lot.
The market. On May 3, the Sunday farmers' market pulled its booths back from the Laurel curbs and spread into the Wheeler Plaza lot. That let Cherry Street reopen to traffic and parking, and the market added seating, umbrellas and games. The Urban Village Farmers' Market Association runs it now, Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., all year, rain or shine.
Public art. Balancing Act, the blue figure, now stands near Laurel and Cherry Streets.
The City has also tried to keep people on the 700 block itself. Its Life on Laurel pop-ups set up cornhole, checkers, Connect 4 and Jenga across from the park, with the hope that people would stay for dinner. The games came back to the 700 block on August 14.
The restaurants on the fence line
Several dining rooms back right onto the construction. In March, staff held a coffee chat in the park for nearby businesses, including Faith & Spirits, Mama Coco Cocina, Town, Spasso and Stamp Bar & Grill. The topics were employee parking, enforcement, and wayfinding signs in the garages. In June, the Adult Community Center's Lunch Bunch made Mama Coco's, next to the park, its monthly stop.
All five still post current hours on their own sites. Mama Coco Cocina is at 753 Laurel, Faith & Spirits at 765 Laurel with weekly live entertainment, Spasso at 769 Laurel, Stamp Bar & Grill at 773 Laurel and Town across the street at 716 Laurel.
During the week of September 28, the City is putting up two informational boards on the 700 block. One goes in the raised planter near Diddams and the other near U.S. Bank.
Art & Wine Faire weekend runs right past the fence
The Faire is the season's biggest test of this arrangement. It runs October 10 and 11, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. both days. The footprint covers San Carlos Avenue from Laurel to Elm and Laurel Street from San Carlos Avenue south to Arroyo. The organizer, Pacific Fine Arts, lists 225 artists, crafters and food vendors.
On the Faire map, the 700 block of Laurel is labeled "Harrington Food Court." The park itself is still under construction, so expect the food court on the street beside the fencing, not inside the park. Food vendors include Cousins Maine Lobster, The Chinita Baker, Rincon Del Cielo Taqueria, Saigon Street Food, Lord of the Ribs, Kabobs2Go and Suitcase Ron's Kettle Korn.
| Day | Schettino Stage, Laurel at San Carlos Ave | Olive Street Stage, Laurel at Olive |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Heartless, 11 a.m.; Pride & Joy, 2:30 p.m. | Petty Rocks, 11:30 a.m.; Steam Donkey, 3 p.m. |
| Sunday | Boys of Summer, 11 a.m.; Carnaval, 3 p.m. | The Nit Pickers, 11:30 a.m.; Pirate Radio, 3 p.m. |
There are five beer booths, five wine booths and a spritz booth at Walnut and San Carlos Avenue. One token buys a full pour: 6 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer, served in the 2026 Faire glass. Wines come from 3P, Comartin Cellars, Domenico and Russian Ridge. Beers include Devil's Canyon's lychee session IPA, Blue Oak's pilsner and West Coast IPA, Alpha Acid's festbier, and Hapas' Amish Rifle Red Ale.
Getting there:
- A free shuttle runs every 30 minutes from the PAMF lot on Industrial Road, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and drops off at Laurel and San Carlos Avenue.
- Bike valet is in the SamTrans Building courtyard at 1250 San Carlos Avenue.
- Caltrain lot spaces 99 to 197 are free all day on weekends.
The Sunday farmers' market closes for Faire weekend, so October 11 has no market even though the City calendar still lists one.
Halloween and December on the same stretch of Laurel
After the Faire, the rest of the calendar stays on Laurel. Spooky Streets entries are due October 23, and winners will be announced October 30. The Goblin Walk is the same afternoon, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., on Laurel from San Carlos Avenue to Arroyo Avenue. It is for children seven and younger with an adult. That route passes the park's fencing.
The City lists Diwali for November 14 but hasn't given a venue yet. The most recent Life on Laurel event on the City's schedule was an October 1 obstacle course with KO Fitness. The City says more pop-ups are planned for fall and winter but hasn't dated them.
Night of Holiday Lights is Friday, December 4, from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., on Laurel between San Carlos Avenue and Cherry Street, with the main stage on Cherry. It is free. That keeps the evening on the 600 block, north of Cherry, so the fenced 700 block sits outside the event footprint.
The City has already worked around this construction once. For Hometown Days in May, the contractor covered a trench on Laurel with steel plates for the May 16–17 weekend so the parade could go through.
When the park reopens, the 700 block still has more coming
The early 2027 reopening covers only the park. In October 2025, the City Council approved a final design for the 700 block, called Centennial Plaza. It includes new paving, rain gardens, trees, seating, a pavilion and lighting. That project has no construction schedule, and the City says it depends on funding and Council direction. For now, the chairs on Laurel, the market in Wheeler Plaza and Balancing Act at Cherry are where the City has put those uses, and the Faire, the Goblin Walk and the Holiday Lights are all planned around that layout.
At Buljan Group, we follow changes like the Harrington Park refresh and the Centennial Plaza plans closely, because they affect how downtown San Carlos works from day to day. If you'd like to talk about what this year's downtown projects mean for a property you own nearby, we'd be glad to arrange a confidential consultation.