Thirty life-size elephants now stand in Stockmen's Park and on Bankhead Plaza in front of the Bankhead Theater. Each one is woven from dried lantana and modeled on a real wild elephant from the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. Until early December, downtown's two best-known open spaces are an art installation. The exhibit is free and stays through Sunday, December 6. No tickets are required.
That has a practical effect beyond the art. For eight weeks the gathering spaces that usually host downtown's fall events are taken. Events that would normally use them have moved a few blocks to Carnegie Park, Livermorium Plaza and Second Street. Then, on the herd's final weekend, downtown's biggest night of the year lands right next to it.
Why the herd is staying put
The Livermore installation is a smaller version of a larger traveling project. Livermore Vine reported that 30 of the project's 100 elephants are on display here. It's their first trip to the Bay Area since the tour began in 2024, and the only West Coast stop planned this year. Livermore Valley Arts and Three Thirty-Three Arts co-host the exhibit. It reached Livermore because Anne Giancola, visual arts and education manager for Livermore Valley Arts, proposed it after seeing the elephants on the East Coast about two years ago.
The sculptures were made by Indigenous artisans of the Real Elephant Collective, drawn from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities of India's Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The material matters too. Lantana camara is one of the world's most invasive weeds and has spread across about 40% of India's forests, so harvesting it for the sculptures helps restoration work, according to the project's figures as reported by Livermore Vine.
Mayor John Marchand described the response in a statement quoted by Livermore Vine:
"This temporary installation is truly unique. It has fired the imaginations throughout our community."
That staying power is why the rest of the calendar had to adjust. The parks will be occupied until the first weekend of December.
Hay Day moves three blocks to Carnegie Park
The first event to move is Kidz Town Halloween Hay Day on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trick-or-treating still happens at participating downtown businesses. This year, though, Livermore Downtown Inc. has moved the kids' activity booths and the costume contest to Carnegie Park at Third and J Streets to make room for the elephant display. The event is free and designed for children in 5th grade and under.
For families, a few details matter:
- Costume contest: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carnegie Park, 2155 Third Street.
- Treat bags: Marcel's booths at Livermorium Plaza and Carnegie Park will give free treat bags to the first 1,500 children, while supplies last.
- The route: With activities on the west end at Carnegie Park and Livermorium Plaza and the elephants at Stockmen's Park and Bankhead Plaza, a costumed morning can pass both.
That last point is a side effect of the move. A family heading to Carnegie Park will be close to the herd that same morning, so the moved event and the exhibit can easily fit into one outing.
A long-running dinner spot closes on Halloween
One week after Hay Day, Zephyr Grill & Bar at 1736 First Street serves its last meals. Pleasanton Weekly reported that owners Lynn and Randy Tei announced the closing for October 31, ending a run on First Street that began in 2004. They had tried to sell the business without the brand name, and that plan did not come together. The restaurant had reopened in November 2025 after a months-long closure.
Hours through the final day are 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. That gives two more weekends, including the Saturday of Hay Day, for one more dinner. The Teis' Zephyr Grill & Bar in Brentwood and Smith's Landing Seafood Grill in Antioch will stay open.
November runs on Second Street and Livermorium Plaza
Once Halloween passes, the middle of the exhibit belongs to the year-round venues that never needed the parks. The Sunday Farmers Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Second Street between South L and South J Streets. Its calendar lists every Sunday of the exhibit, from October 18 through December 6. The Thursday market wrapped its season on October 8, so Sunday is the only market day left downtown this fall.
Evening plans now have a new option. In August, eight independent downtown businesses launched the Downtown Pour Collective, a membership that covers five drinks a month across Demitri's Taverna, Swirl on the Square, The Cheese Parlor, Calamari Bistro & Bar, Stampede Bar & Grill, Bruno's Italian Cuisine, L Campo and Wingen Bakery & Restaurant, as Pleasanton Weekly reported. The timing rules suit an exhibit visit. Redemptions work Sunday through Thursday during business hours, and on Fridays and Saturdays only before 4 p.m. A Saturday afternoon walk past the elephants followed by a pour before 4 fits that window.
The one big downtown event in November is Earlier Than the Bird on Saturday, November 21, from 7 to 10 a.m. It's based at Livermorium Plaza and spreads across downtown, with shopping in pajamas, retailer promotions and a gift drive for Tri-Valley Haven. With Livermorium Plaza as home base, it is based away from the parks the herd is using.
The last weekend is the busiest
The exhibit's final weekend lines up with downtown's biggest night. The Holiday Sights and Sounds Parade is Saturday, December 5. It starts on First Street at 6 p.m., and the tree lighting follows. According to Livermore Downtown Inc.'s parade page, the procession heads east on First Street and ends with the tree lighting at Lizzie Fountain across from Flag Pole Plaza, at about 7:15 p.m. The 2026 route details haven't been posted yet, and the street-closure map currently shown is from 2025. Check that page again in early December before planning where to park or set up chairs. Livermore Downtown Inc. also lists its Holiday Open House for December 5.
Sunday, December 6 is the herd's last day. It's also a Sunday Farmers Market day on Second Street.
Here's how the full stretch lays out:
- Saturday, October 24: Kidz Town Halloween Hay Day, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with activities and the costume contest at Carnegie Park.
- Saturday, October 31: Zephyr Grill & Bar's final day at 1736 First Street.
- Sundays through December 6: Sunday Farmers Market on Second Street, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, November 21: Earlier Than the Bird, 7 to 10 a.m., based at Livermorium Plaza.
- Saturday, December 5: Holiday Sights and Sounds Parade at 6 p.m. on First Street, tree lighting around 7:15 p.m. at Lizzie Fountain.
- Sunday, December 6: The Great Elephant Migration's last day.
For parking during the run, Visit Tri-Valley points to free downtown parking in garages and on the street, including the Livermore Village garage and the Railroad Avenue lots. It also notes bus service from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to the Livermore Transit Center. The exhibit is free and open to everyone, and Livermore Valley Arts is accepting tax-deductible donations to support the installation and its programs.
Our team has followed Livermore's downtown events and the valley around it for more than 25 years. If the herd's visit has you thinking about the parts of the Livermore Valley you'd like to know better, from First Street out to the vineyard estates south of town, The Kristy Peixoto Team would be glad to talk through it with you. Schedule Your White-Glove Consultation.
