San Mateo police are swapping downtown sidewalks for a coastal ridge this fall, moving their annual Pink Patch Party to the Farallon Room at Skyline College in San Bruno on Saturday, October 3. The free community celebration kicks off at 5:30 p.m., followed by a ticketed comedy show called Laughter Is the Breast Medicine, according to the San Mateo Police Department.
The event is a joint effort between the department and the San Mateo Police Officers' Association, which is presenting both the party and the comedy night as part of the Pink Patch Project, a breast cancer awareness campaign involving collaboration with Los Angeles County agencies, according to the Peace Officers Research Association of California. Participating public safety agencies wear pink patches and raise awareness and funds, per the same organization.
The San Mateo Police Officers' Association says campaign proceeds support Battle Baskets for newly diagnosed breast-cancer patients, according to the San Mateo Police Department
. Officers will wear pink uniform patches as a visible show of support, the department said.
From Retail Parking Lots to a Ridge Above the Ocean
The venue change marks a notable shift for the annual event. In 2022, the police department and its officers' association partnered with RadNet and Breastlink to bring a mobile mammography coach nicknamed Maddy to a Pink Patch Party at Hillsdale Shopping Center, offering free community mammograms alongside the festivities, as reported by Peninsula 360 Press. The following year, Hoodline covered the 2023 Pink Patch Party on the 100 block of South B Street, which also featured free mammograms, police demonstrations, and raffles.
This year's gathering trades the street-fair format for the Farallon Room at Skyline College in San Bruno, at 3300 College Drive, which sits on a coastal ridge with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, according to the City of San Mateo. The free portion of the evening will include music, dancing, socializing, and photo opportunities with department vehicles, per the department's announcement. Local health and wellness partners will also be on hand. The announcement does not mention a mobile mammography unit at the new venue.
Comedy Lineup and Ticket Details
The ticketed comedy portion is headlined by Susan Rice, a 73-year-old Pacific Northwest stand-up comedian who has performed since 1983 and recently gained viral attention for her set on Don't Tell Comedy and her 2025 streaming special, Silver Alert, according to Portland Monthly. The show will be hosted by Shawn Felipe, a Northern California comedian, according to the San Jose Improv. The lineup also features comedians Alisha Dhillon, Chelsea Bearce, and Bhavna Sharma, per the department's announcement.
General admission tickets cost $60 and are restricted to attendees 21 and older, with each ticket including light appetizers and a chance to win raffle prizes. VIP and special seating tickets come with drink tickets included, the department said. Doors for the comedy portion open at 6:15 p.m., ahead of the 7:30 p.m. show start.
Sponsors and Support Partners
Verkada and UCSF Health are listed as sponsors of this year's event, per the department's announcement. The event announcement also references additional support for the campaign.
The event's support network underscores why local departments keep leaning into awareness campaigns like this one each fall.
Why Early Detection Remains the Focus
Breast cancer that is caught early, before it spreads beyond the breast, carries a five-year relative survival rate of over 90 percent, Hoodline reported in its earlier coverage of the event. Roughly 1 in 8 women in the United States, or about 12.5 percent, will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some point in her lifetime, according to the Glendale Police Department. Those figures help explain why law enforcement agencies across the country continue to rally behind the Pink Patch Project each October, and why San Mateo's own department keeps expanding its version of the campaign year after year.
The Pink Patch Party is free to attend, while the comedy night requires a paid ticket. Residents with questions about the event can seek more information from the San Mateo Police Department, and tips can be submitted through the department's available channels.
