34th America's Cup
On December 31, 2010, San Francisco was selected as the host city for the 34th America’s Cup (AC34), and San Francisco is thrilled to host the oldest trophy in international sports. We believe this event presents the possibility of a dual transformation – one of unprecedented investment into the City’s waterfront as well as a new era for the America’s Cup with the best sailors on the fastest boats in one of the greatest natural marine amphitheaters in the world. The 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco will be the first time in the history of the event when racing will be visible from multiple locations, both land and sea, with the start and finish lines just off our northeastern waterfront.
The 34th America’s Cup begins in the San Francisco Bay in the summer of 2013 with the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series, to determine who will race the Defender, ORACLE Racing, in the America’s Cup Finals in September of that year.
New in 2011, is the introduction of an America’s Cup World Series, which will begin this August in Portugal and, after travelling around the world, makes a stop in San Francisco in August and September of 2012 where the new America’s Cup boat - the AC72 wing-sailed cataraman - makes its debut.
Timeline:
- The America’s Cup World Series: The first event starts in August 2011 in Cascais, Portugal, followed by a global series of races that make up the first series. The second season of the circuit begins in San Francisco with two events, one in August and one in September 2012.
- The Louis Vuitton Cup: July 13, - September 1, 2013 in San Francisco.
- The America’s Cup Finals: September 7 - 22, 2013 in San Francisco.
For almost a year now, we’ve heard about the benefits of hosting this race for San Francisco – one of the world’s leading sporting competitions. According to a 2010 report by the Bay Area Economic Institute and Beacon Economics, AC34 is likely to draw millions of visitors and spectators, create 8,800 jobs and generate nearly $1.4 billion in economic impacts to San Francisco. The region’s leading innovators will be the spark of ingenuity that allows spectator and broadcast experiences unmatched in the history of the Cup.
Racing the 34th America's Cup in the spectacular San Francisco Bay offers:
- an opportunity to race along shore, allowing spectators a new way to connect with and view the race from either land or sea
- an incredible amphitheater of high rise offices, hilltop houses and shoreline parks
- the ability to view the race from San Francisco’s public parks, open spaces and historic piers, with the world famous Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop
- a region of 7.2 million potential local spectators, the Bay Area has more than three times the population of the last three host cities of the America's Cup, giving rise to a new era of America's Cup fans
- reliable wind speeds and direction ensuring an exciting and skillful event
- an unparalleled opportunity for broadcasting the race to all American and international households around the world
The Economic Impact of AC34 is significant, it includes:
- An estimated 8,800 jobs, distributed widely across occupations from food and beverage to hospitality, transportation, and the construction trades.
- Nearly $1.4 billion in economic impacts to the City and County of San Francisco (roughly three times the economic impact of hosting the Super Bowl), including significant benefits to state and local government coffers.
- Extensive national and global media coverage with San Francisco as the backdrop, further cementing the City as a highly sought-after sporting destination well beyond the duration of the race.
Our Progress
Creation of the America’s Cup Executive Steering Committee
To show my commitment to the success of the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco, I issued my first Executive Directive as Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco officially creating the America’s Cup Executive Steering Committee to ensure all aspects of bringing a race of this magnitude are managed properly and all movement is regulated and properly approved.
City’s draft “People Plan”
With the event two years out, we are moving aggressively to meet our commitments to host a spectacular 34th America’s Cup and to set a new standard for sustainable event-planning. In March, the City unveiled the draft “People Plan,” the transportation plan for moving up to 200,000 residents and visitors daily to the City’s waterfront for the 34th America’s Cup.
We are aiming to make the 34th America’s Cup the most transit, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly major sporting event focusing on four organizing principles: 1) resource efficiency; 2) environmental sustainability; 3) strategic adaptability; and 4) positive legacy.
By beginning our transportation planning more than two years in advance of the races, we are engaging transit advocates, neighbors and the public from the beginning to ensure we meet the transportation needs of the races as well as City residents and commuters.
In the People Plan process, the environmental review process and in a myriad of other sectors, we are leveraging resources and enthusiasm to set a new standard for a collaborative process with the community and other stakeholders. The shared goal of all concerned is to leave a positive long-term legacy. Let me reinforce that a huge part of the America’s Cup legacy is about bringing thousands of jobs to San Francisco and generating revenue for our City to boost our shared recovery from the recent economic downturn.
For the official page of the 34th America’s Cup, please click here.
Visit the following pages for more information:
Office of Economic & WorkForce Development