San Francisco goes bananas for the Color Factory

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The Color Factory embodies what every millennial Instagrammer is looking for in a cool post.

Just outside of Union Square, a rainbow-hued facade, sandwiched between gray slabs of towering concrete to its left and right, has passersby scratching their heads and giddy insiders positively losing their minds. Yep, the 12,000-square-foot candy-coated Color Factory is nothing short of spectacular.


A joint venture between Oh Happy Day—the ultimate online party store—and renowned installation artists, this two-story pop-up exhibition is a modern-day wonderland. Under the direction of Leah Rosenberg and Erin Jang—two artists who specialize in creations inspired by pop culture, and who also do product design for Oh Happy Day—the Color Factory has been meticulously crafted to catalyze every nerve and neuron.

Visitors must come ready to play: You can take a dip in the torso-deep yellow ball pit; climb a rainbow staircase spiraling up the building's spine; get lost in blue balloons or a room filled with 10,000 ribbons. It's a divine experience to find yourself bathed in the sun-lit glow emanating from the stained-glass room.

"There's nothing comparable [to it]," former Mayor Willie Brown told The Chronicle. "After spending time in the ribbons, I said, 'Someone call 911!'"

It's just this visceral sensation that Oh Happy Day founder Jordan Ferney was going for. "San Francisco has a great tradition and heritage around art and design," she says. "However, right now, San Francisco is filled with creative and diverse people who spend way too much time online. Color Factory is an invitation to have delightful, real-world experiences."

Tickets to the fun factory at 575 Sutter Street are officially sold out. (But a birdie told us you can sign up online in case October dates open up). In the meantime, spark up your FOMO with some of the Color Factory's most fabulous Instagram moments.

// 575 Sutter St. (Tendernob), colorfactory.co

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