On Saturday, October 10, thirty life-size elephant sculptures open to the public in front of the Bankhead Theater and in Stockmen's Park. They stay through Sunday, December 6. The touring project's own site lists Livermore from October 8, which likely means the herd arrives a couple of days ahead of the public opening. The Great Elephant Migration is free and runs for eight weeks. Livermore Valley Arts and Three Thirty-Three Arts are hosting it, with support from the City of Livermore, Jean King and Visit Tri-Valley.
The sculptures are the headline. The bigger change for anyone who lives here is the calendar. Bankhead Plaza and Stockmen's Park host a large share of downtown's public events, and for the rest of the fall a herd is standing on both. Some events have been planned around the herd, one shares the plaza with it, and one has already moved to make room.
Where the Herd Stands, and How Long It Stays
Each sculpture copies a real wild elephant from the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. Local people there know these elephants by name and by personality. Artisans of The Real Elephant Collective, from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities, built them from Lantana camara. That invasive plant has spread across large areas of India's forests and pushed wildlife out of its habitat.
Livermore is the herd's only West Coast stop in 2026 and its first visit to the Bay Area. Its last stop was Boston, from August 8 to September 13, 2026. Before that the herd went to New York City from September 6 to October 20, 2024, and to Beverly Hills from July 1 to August 1, 2025. Livermore's run of October 10 to December 6 is longer than any of those three, and it covers the whole stretch from harvest season to the holiday parade.
The host page names Bankhead Plaza and Stockmen's Park as the two sites. In the Hacienda's September 15 report, a Livermore Valley Arts representative said elephants will also stand at "a few" other select locations. The host page is the place to check for any added spots as the run goes on.
October 10 Was Planned as One Long Day
Opening day doesn't compete with downtown's existing events. They were stacked around it, and the official exhibit calendar lists them in order.
- 10 AM, Stockmen's Park. The Opening Ceremony and Blessing of the Herd. A local preview says the elephants will be blessed and decorated in South Asian regalia.
- 11 AM to 5 PM, across downtown. ArtWalk, presented by Livermore Valley Arts. More than 200 artists set up along First Street, in Livermorium Park, on Bankhead Plaza and in the Bankhead lobby. High school art fills the Bankhead Courtyard, food vendors line McLeod Street between First and Second, and this year adds a new CHALK the WALK.
- 6:30 to 9:30 PM, Stockmen's Park. Dandiya, presented by IVA Events, in the same park where the morning ceremony took place.
Bankhead Plaza is the one place where ArtWalk and the herd overlap. Neither organization has published a shared route or a crowd plan. Anyone hoping for an open view of the sculptures will find the plaza at its busiest that afternoon. The morning ceremony at Stockmen's Park, an hour before ArtWalk opens, is the quieter way to see the herd on its first day.
The Event That Moved Over
Kidz Town Halloween Hay Day is the clearest sign the herd is reshaping downtown's routines. It is still on Saturday, October 24, from 10 AM to 1 PM. It is still free and still designed for kids in 5th grade and under, with trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses.
This year the kids' activity booths and the costume contest move to Carnegie Park at Third and J Streets, which organizers say is "to accommodate the temporary Elephant Migration Art Display." Families who have a usual meeting spot from past years will want a new one. Carnegie Park is a few blocks from the herd, so it's easy to see both in one morning: costumes and booths first, then a walk over to the plaza.
Who Shares the Plaza Through December
Pridefest is the first event to share Bankhead Plaza with the sculptures. After that, downtown's regular events run on schedule for the rest of the eight weeks while the elephants stay in place.
| Date | Event | Where | Relation to the herd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 7, 4 to 9 PM | Witches Night Out | Downtown | Three days before the herd opens to the public |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Opening, ArtWalk, Dandiya | Stockmen's Park, downtown | Built around the arrival |
| Oct 15 to 18 | TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience | Wine country | Listed on the herd's calendar |
| Sat, Oct 17, 12 to 4 PM | 7th Annual Pridefest | Bankhead Plaza | Shares the plaza with the sculptures |
| Sat, Oct 24, 10 AM to 1 PM | Kidz Town Halloween Hay Day | Downtown, Carnegie Park | Booths moved to make room |
| Sat, Nov 21, 7 to 10 AM | Earlier Than the Bird | Livermorium Plaza, downtown | Midway through the run |
| Sat, Dec 5, 6 PM | Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting | First Street | The night before the herd leaves |
Witches Night Out on October 7 comes three days before the herd opens to the public. Its shopping and dining specials and two restaurant seatings are the last big downtown evening before the sculptures arrive. Earlier Than the Bird, the pajama-themed early shopping morning, starts at 7 AM on November 21 at Livermorium Plaza. The Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting goes down First Street at 6 PM on Saturday, December 5. The exhibit calendar lists December 6 as the last day to see the herd before it leaves Livermore. That makes parade night the last evening of the run.
The exhibit calendar says new events and details are "added regularly," so the list will probably grow before December.
An Ordinary Weekday Visit
Between the big weekends, the herd is simply on display, and a weekday visit has a few rules worth knowing:
- Touching is allowed. Visitors may touch the sculptures but should not climb on them or push them.
- Dogs are welcome on a leash.
- Someone is usually there to answer questions. Onsite Elephant Guardians are present from 10 AM to 4 PM on most exhibit days. Three Thirty-Three Arts invites school groups and lists planning contacts for group visits.
- The guardians are local volunteers. The Independent reported a call for docents to work 3.5-hour shifts at Bankhead Plaza and Stockmen's Park. Interested volunteers can email [email protected].
A 10 AM visit on a weekday, when the guardians have just started, gives the most time with the sculptures and the fewest people. Mayor John Marchand called it "truly unique" and said it "has fired the imaginations throughout our community."
Wine Country Made the Herd's Calendar Too
The exhibit's own event list includes TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience, which runs October 15 to 18, in the first week of the run. This is the fourth year of TASTE. It offers 13 wine and food events, and 25 Livermore Valley wineries are pouring. The kickoff event, Taste Our Terroir on Thursday, October 15, is already sold out.
Two of those 25 wineries are taking part for the first time, and both have newly opened tasting rooms. Shanti Winery opened its second tasting room in April at 5443 Tesla Road, in the renovated former Steven Kent Winery space. Owners Ray and Dimple Sharma host Stomp, Pour, & Pair on Sunday, October 18. Cellar 13 opened its first tasting room at 2400 Arroyo Road, on the former Cuda Ridge Winery site, and is pouring on weekends. The winegrowers' calendar listed it as open on Saturday, October 3. Other TASTE highlights include Cattle, Cabernet & Country at McGrail Vineyards on October 16 and Barrels and Bootleggers at Concannon Vineyard on October 17.
That third weekend packs a lot into a short stretch. Pridefest is on Bankhead Plaza on Saturday afternoon while TASTE events run across wine country from Thursday to Sunday.
Where to Eat Between Visits
The Chamber's release expects the exhibit to bring more people downtown. First Street has several new places to eat since last fall. No downtown business has announced an elephant-themed menu or promotion yet, so the choice is simply where to go before or after a walk past the herd.
One building at 2470 First Street now holds two of 2026's newer openings. Zachary's Chicago Pizza opened on February 2 in Suite 104, in the former Patxi's space. Le Nocturne, a French supper club that replaced The Syndicate in Suite 100, now lists itself as open. Slice House, the chain's first Tri-Valley location, is a few blocks away at 1948 First Street. For a drink, the Downtown Pour Collective is a members-only program that includes one drink a month at each of five downtown venues. It held its ribbon cutting on April 22.
Our family has been in Tri-Valley neighborhoods for years, and we'll be downtown at the elephants this fall like everyone else. If the busier fall downtown has you wondering what your Livermore home is worth, The Duarte Team is happy to talk it over with you. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll give you a clear, local answer with no pressure.
