In 2024, Anne Giancola was on a family trip to Newport, Rhode Island, when she walked into a herd of life-size elephants built from dried plant stems. Giancola is the visual arts and education manager at Livermore Valley Arts. She spent the next two years chasing the organizers. She told The Independent that San Francisco was also interested, but undecided. When the organizers offered Livermore the exclusive, she took it right away.
Livermore got the herd. "The Great Elephant Migration: A Family Gathering" opened October 10 and stays through Sunday, December 6. It's free and spread across two places: Bankhead Plaza at 2400 First St. and Stockmen's Park at 29 S. Livermore Ave. According to the Livermore Vine, this is the herd's first trip to the Bay Area and its only West Coast stop planned for 2026.
Giancola didn't present the herd as a gallery show. She presented it as a reason for people to come downtown. It now stands on two of the blocks where downtown Livermore is still under construction.
A Pitch Built Around Merchants and Parking
Early on, Giancola described the herd's benefit in plain terms. "It's not benefiting (LVA), it's benefiting the city and the downtown merchants," she told The Independent. She also talked about logistics: "We have all this free parking, and we're going to need it."
The money followed the same thinking. When the bid was still forming, The Independent reported a fundraising goal of $140,000. Of that, $100,000 was for the herd rental. The plan also included a $30,000 request to the City Council and a $15,000 commitment from Visit Tri-Valley, the regional tourism group. Those were early plans, not a final budget. The current exhibit page from co-host Three Thirty-Three Arts, a San Francisco nonprofit, lists core support from the City of Livermore, Visit Tri-Valley and Jean King. Visit Tri-Valley publishes a map of the exhibit and suggests pairing a visit with nearby restaurants and wineries.
The timing changed too. The original plan put the herd downtown in September and October. The final run, October 10 to December 6, covers downtown's holiday calendar right up to the parade weekend.
What the Herd Is Made Of
Livermore Valley Arts counts 30 elephants, and so does the Livermore Vine. The Three Thirty-Three Arts page lists 27. Either way, the group in Livermore is a smaller "family gathering" taken from the larger herd. The Livermore Vine puts the full herd at 100.
Each sculpture copies a real wild elephant from the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. The people who live there know each animal by name and personality. The makers are Indigenous artisans of the Real Elephant Collective, from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities.
The material is the point of the project. The elephants are made from Lantana camara, a flowering shrub that the Great Elephant Migration says has spread across 40% of India's forests. Harvesting it for sculpture helps clear it out. The project also turns lantana into biochar for soil improvement. The tour is run by Elephant Family USA, part of Coexistence Story Inc., a 501(c)(3). It reports more than $1.4 million in grants since 2024 to community-led projects that help people and wildlife live alongside each other. The herd's earlier U.S. stops included Newport, New York City, Miami Beach, Houston, Jackson Hole and Beverly Hills.
Opening day in Livermore added local touches. The Independent reported a Hindu blessing and a Vishaway Shanthi Dance. Twenty-five artists from the Indian American Artists Association decorated sculptures with saris. IVA Events co-founder Kiran Guleria described the day as "bringing together cultures and communities." The Livermore Vine quoted Mayor John Marchand: the installation "has fired the imaginations throughout our community."
Two Plazas, Two Unfinished Blocks
Look at what's next to each group of elephants.
At Stockmen's Park, the next-door address is 37 South Livermore Avenue. The City lists that site as the Blacksmith Square expansion, now under construction. It will add 13,200 square feet of commercial space around a courtyard enlarged to 5,000 square feet. The City estimates completion by the end of 2026, which is an estimate, not a promise. So the elephants are standing beside the construction for the next piece of downtown.
At Bankhead Plaza, the herd sits next to the planned hotel site. According to the Livermore Vine, the city has approved a development agreement with Presidio Companies. The hotelier is still refining the plan. A short walk west, the City's Livermore Village infrastructure project is bringing power and water to the empty parcel at 2047 First Street. It also includes a lit, paved pedestrian alley next to Mornings on First. Design is expected to wrap up in December 2026, with construction expected to start in February 2027.
So none of the permanent projects will be finished before the herd leaves on December 6. Until then, the elephants give people a reason to walk between both ends of downtown.
The Businesses Around the Herd This Fall
The surrounding business blocks are changing as well. Dumont Creamery & Café opened its first East Bay location at 2375 Railroad Ave., Suite 101, with a grand opening on September 18. The Livermore Vine reports that co-owners Ajay Vattipally, Rohit Annamreddy and Rajesh Challa serve internationally inspired ice cream along with coffee, boba, slushies and shakes. That's an easy stop after visiting the herd at Bankhead Plaza.
On First Street, Zephyr Grill & Bar plans to serve its last night on Saturday, October 31. Patch reports that owners Lynn and Randy Tei announced the closing after 22 years. If it was a regular spot for you, Halloween night is the last chance.
Planning a Visit Around the Calendar
Livermore Valley Arts calls the exhibit free and open to all. Three Thirty-Three Arts says Elephant Guardians are on site most days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. School groups and guided tours are arranged by request rather than on a fixed schedule. The exhibit's event calendar ties into several downtown and wine country dates. Here is what's left between now and the herd's last day:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri. Oct. 30 to Sat. Oct. 31 | Trick or Treat: Haunted Winery Crawl, a self-guided route through six wineries; admission is a Halloween-decorated wine glass | Livermore Valley wineries |
| Mon. Nov. 2 | Diwali Pichwai art class | Livermore Public Library |
| Thu. Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m. | Nat Geo Live: The Ghosts of Pompeii | Bankhead Theater |
| Sat. Nov. 21, 7 to 10 a.m. | Earlier Than the Bird pajama shopping, with a Tri-Valley Haven teen gift drive | Livermorium Plaza and downtown |
| Sat. Dec. 5, 3 p.m. | Free Livermore-Amador Symphony family concert | Bankhead Theater |
| Sat. Dec. 5, 6 p.m. | Holiday Sights & Sounds Parade, tree lighting right after | First Street |
| Sat. Dec. 5 to Sun. Dec. 6, noon to 4:30 p.m. | Holidays in the Vineyards, free admission, tasting fees may apply, Toys for Tots drive | Livermore Valley wineries |
| Sun. Dec. 6 | Final day to visit the herd | Stockmen's Park and Bankhead Plaza |
Details for the Haunted Winery Crawl and Holidays in the Vineyards are on the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association site. The early-morning shopping event and the parade are listed by Livermore Downtown Inc., and the Bankhead lineup is on the Livermore Valley Arts season page. The first weekend of December is the busiest. On Saturday, December 5, you can see a family concert at the Bankhead, the parade on First Street and the tree lighting, all with the herd still in place. The elephants leave the next day. Three Thirty-Three Arts says it adds new programming to its exhibit calendar regularly. Check it before you go, because Bankhead dates and ticket availability can change.
If you're a seller thinking about spring 2027, you've seen up close how downtown's projects line up, from Blacksmith Square to the Livermore Village alley, and that's the kind of local context a good valuation should account for. Sonali Sells has followed downtown Livermore's changes for more than 30 years and will gladly walk you through what they could mean for your home. Request a Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the elephants before December 6.
