Balmy Alley

Welcome to Balmy Alley. The street is located in the Mission District in San Francisco, California. The block long alley is the best place to see the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco. The murals began in the mid-80's as an expression of artists' outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America. Today the alley contains murals on a myriad of styles and subjects from human rights to local gentrification.

The alley is best viewed on foot- either by yourself or on a guided tour from Precita Eyes Mural Arts. Park nearby or take the short walk from BART (San Francisco's subway). Check out the WHERE tab on how to get here.

The alley is constantly changing with new murals going up all the time. Please come visit in person and see the beauty that is mural art.

The Mission also boasts excellent restaurants and stores. Visit around mid-day and stay for lunch.There are plenty of great restaurant here..

Where

Balmy Alley is located off of 24th Street in The Mission. It is parallel to Treat Ave and Harrison Street between 24th & 25th streets.

Take BART to 24th/Mission. Walk EAST (towards Capp Street) for 5 1/2 blocks.

If you're driving- use the map. Balmy is a small alley with many pedestrians, please park nearby and walk through- it's a much better way to appreciate the murals. (24th Street and small parts of the side streets are the only ones that are metered).

For a guided tour- check out Precita Eyes. They offer murals tours almost every day. Well worth it.

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Murals

The alley is in constant flux so it’s best to come for a visit in person!

Please remember that murals are copyrighted works of art. Photographs are for your personal enjoyment only. Any photos OR video taken of copyrighted murals for the purpose of reproduction (including t-shirts, album covers, web sites, guide books, the background for music videos or commercials, etc) can only be used with written permission from the muralist(s). If you are interested in getting permission, please contact Precita Eyes at 415-285-2287 or by email at precita eyes publicity.

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Dia de los Muertos

or Day of the Dead is every November 2nd. There is a parade in The Mission past Balmy Alley that ends at Potrero Del Sol Park (25th Street and San Bruno Avenue). People dress in wonderful costumes and make elaborate altars in the park to recently deceased friends and family members. As the size of the parade has increased, the city has closed off Balmy Alley to the parade to better control traffic but you can still explore the murals on foot.

Click here to find out more about SF Dia de los Muertos

Say Hello.

If you have any comments or questions, please email info@precitaeyes.org