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Each day thousands of people travel through the streets of Downtown San Diego, the heart of the city. Downtown is the core of commerce, entertainment, arts and culture, and government for this region of 2.5 million people, and the Downtown San Diego Street Banner Program provides a unique and highly visible marketing tool to capture a large audience.

Street banners are a colorful and highly effective method of communicating information and creating awareness for important civic and cultural events, celebrations and conventions. The Downtown San Diego Street Banner Program, administered by the Downtown San Diego Partnership, offers eligible groups the opportunity to showcase banners along several key thoroughfares. The program is highly popular, with some dates being reserved as much as three years in advance. It is recommended that interested banner programs contact the Partnership at least a year in advance to reserve space.

Eligibility

An eligible banner program is one that promotes an upcoming public or private event, or significant milestone for the City of San Diego. Banners cannot be political or religious in subject matter, nor can banners be used for the sole purpose of advertising a specific product or corporate entity.

Bannering Districts

The banner districts administered by the Partnership in Downtown San Diego are:

BROADWAY is the ceremonial main street in Downtown San Diego. The banner poles are located on the median between east- and west-bound traffic, from Broadway and Third Avenue to Pacific Highway. The district is comprised of 58 banners, mounted in pairs on 29 poles. Banners are an impressive 46"x144" (12 feet tall!). Because of wind considerations, Broadway banners must be manufactured from 9.25-ounce marine canvas material.

HARBOR DRIVE is the gateway to Downtown from the San Diego International Airport. This banner district stretches from the airport to the Convention Center and includes part of Seaport Village. The Harbor Drive district is comprised of 140 - 30"x94" banners mounted in pairs on 70 poles. The poles are located on the street median, as well as on the sidewalks surrounding the County Administration Center.

PARK BOULEVARD is the scenic route along Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. This district is ideal for promoting events, milestones or exhibits within Balboa Park and the Zoo. The Park banner district is comprised of 38 - 30"x94" banners mounted in pairs on 19 poles. The poles are located on the street median.

GASLAMP QUARTER is separately administered by the Gaslamp Quarter Association. For more information about that program, please contact (619) 233-5227. The Gaslamp Quarter banner district runs through Downtown's historic district. This program is comprised of 96 - 24"x52" banners mounted in pairs on 48 poles on Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Avenues between Broadway and Harbor Drive.

MARKET STREET is the new cross-town secret to the Harbor in downtown San Diego. Parallel to Broadway, Market Street was christened with NFL Super Bowl Banners in 2003. Banners run from 10th Avenue to 6th Avenue and 4th Avenue, to Columbia Street. This program is comprised of 47 single-sided - 24" x 52" poles.

B STREET covers the unofficial theatre district downtown, from 3rd Avenue to 8th Avenue, and is the newest addition to the banner program. This district is perfect for promoting cultural and theatrical events, and utilizes 25 - 18" x 36" banners mounted on 23 poles.

Length of Programs

There are two lengths of time for banner programs: 30 days or 14 days. Programs may be extended (1) if no other paid banner program follows on the schedule, and (2) if the City of San Diego extends the permit.

Shared Programs

Organizations with limited budgets may produce one-half the usual number of banners needed for a program, cutting the banner production costs almost in half. Shared programs may be mounted along with generic banners or with other shared, paid programs on Broadway and Harbor Drive (not Park Boulevard).

Corporate Sponsor Logos

In compliance with the City of San Diego Sign Code Ordinance, corporate sponsorship or underwriting may be displayed on the banner through the appearance of the sponsor's logo and/or name. The corporate sponsor's identity is restricted to no more than five percent of the total banner area. The corporate sponsor's identity must be subordinate to the message of the banner.

Applying For and Creating a Banner Program

Due to the popularity of the Downtown San Diego Street Banner Program, applications should be submitted along with the appropriate application fees and deposit(s) to the Partnership as soon as the applicant is interested in the program.

After the Downtown San Diego Partnership reviews the application, the applicant will be notified whether or not the application has been approved. Upon approval, the applicant should submit, in a timely manner, a full-color copy of the banner design to the Partnership for review.

Once the Partnership has approved the banner design, the applicant must do the following:

• Obtain a certificate of insurance for two million dollars ($2 million) naming all officers, employees and agents of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Centre City Development Corporation, San Diego Unified Port District, and the City of San Diego as additionally insured.
• Obtain a sign permit from the City of San Diego. A full-color copy of the banner design and the certificate of insurance are required by the City to obtain a sign permit. Submit a copy of both the certificate of insurance and the sign permit to the Downtown San Diego Partnership. The Partnership has designated a specific installer for the banner districts. Applicants are required to use the services of The Decor Plan.

If the applicant successfully completes its program(s), the deposit(s) will be returned after the banners are removed upon request. If the applicant fails to complete its program(s), the deposit(s) is forfeited and retained by the Partnership.

Please contact bhamraz@downtownsandiego.org to receive an application. A vendor list is also available. (Vendors are not affiliated with the Partnership.)

APPLICATION FEE AND DEPOSIT SCHEDULE:

* Full Program (Every Pole), Shared Program (Every Other Pole)