Over Labor Day Weekend (August 29 to September 1, 2008) Slow Food Nation will transform San Francisco’s Civic Center and Fort Mason as tens of thousands of local citizens and visitors, farmers and food artisans, political leaders, environmental advocates and health-care experts, educators and artists, and parents and children gather to experience the largest celebration of food San Francisco has ever witnessed. The first-ever event of its kind in America, Slow Food Nation will present an extraordinary range of activities for all ages, including a farmers market showcasing hundreds of California growers and artisan producers, tastings and feasts, chef’s demonstrations, an urban farm, a music festival, a major conference on food values, social justice and the environment, and workshops, forums, films and interactive exhibits, all highlighting food that supports an agricultural system that is good, clean and fair.

The world’s most pressing questions regarding health, culture, the environment, education, social justice and the global economy are all deeply connected to the food we eat and how it is produced. By creating a framework for a deeper environmental connection to our food, participants will learn how everyday choices affect our well-being, our culture and the health of the planet.

The four-day event will feature:

Food for Thought: Wendell Berry, Marion Nestle, Carlo Petrini, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Vandana Shiva, Alice Waters and many more will share their vision for a good, clean and fair food system. Forums, workshops, film screenings and participatory panels for all will further the discussion.

Marketplace: A vibrant showcase of hundreds of local and sustainable growers and artisanal producers featuring fresh, seasonal produce and foods.

Taste Pavilion: Savor hundreds of American artisanal foods, including meats and cheeses, olive oils, breads, pickles and chutneys, jams and honeys, microbrews, wines, and more. Taste workshops will provide an in-depth gastronomical experience.

Green Kitchen: Using local, fresh ingredients, master chefs share their secrets for creating simple and green gastronomical delights.

Victory Garden: A vital and diverse urban farm to be planted by the community in the heart of the city.

Slow On the Go: Famed street food from the kitchens of new immigrant cultures, displaying the rich diversity of culinary traditions in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Seat at the Table: Dinner for 500 around the Victory Garden to celebrate urban-rural partnerships.

Changemakers Day: In collaboration with Roots of Change, hundreds of nonprofit leaders and activists will convene to share best practices, learn new approaches and inspire a new generation of ideas.

Model Farm Bill Signing: On Thursday evening, August 28, a ceremony will usher in a model Farm Bill, endorsed by leading political, environmental and consumer advocates, and signed by thousands of citizens. Harkening back to the signing of the Constitution and similar civic acts from U.S. history, the re-envisioned Farm Bill will be presented to Congress as a call for real reform.

In addition, Slow Food Nation will host a music concert and offer slow dinners at renowned restaurants, slow journeys throughout the Bay Area and slow hikes to explore the agricultural landscapes that support this region.

**Photos and graphics available upon request. For more information, please contact Naomi Starkman at naomi@slowfoodnation.org or Layla Azimi at layla@slowfoodnation.org.