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Events for January 1, 2026

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Thursday, January 1

Free First Thursdays at SF’s Museum of Craft and Design
Thursday, January 1 – 10:00 am - Ends at 5:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free Admission every First Thursday
| Museum of Craft and Design
Free First Thursdays at SF's Museum of Craft and Design

There’s no better time to visit the Museum of Craft and Design than on their Free First Thursdays. Committed to making art, craft, and design accessible to everyone the Museum of Craft and Design is Free on the First Thursday of every month. .  Museum of Craft and ...Monthly

SF’s DFT New Year’s Day: “Downtown First Thursdays” (2026)
Thursday, January 1 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*FREE with RSVP
| 2nd St & Howard St
SF’s DFT New Year's Day: “Downtown First Thursdays” (2026)
DFT: NEW YEAR’S DAY EDITION. The DFT Street Party on 2nd St. DFT is back for a full year of street parties in 2026! Kick off a brand new season and a brand new year of DFT on New Year’s Day. DJs – Live Performances – ...

PIER 39’s Dazzling 60′ Tree Lighting Show (New Year’s Day)
Thursday, January 1 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Pier 39
PIER 39's Dazzling 60' Tree Lighting Show (New Year's Day)

The Holidays are HapPIER at PIER 39! Get into the spirit of the Season at PIER 39 while shopping, dining and strolling The PIER. An awe-inspiring Christmas tree has welcomed millions of visitors at the Entrance Plaza of PIER 39 every holiday season since 1983 ...

Hecklers Welcome: SF’s First Stand-Up Comedy Show That Invites Heckling
Thursday, January 1 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free with RSVP
| The Function
Hecklers Welcome: SF's First Stand-Up Comedy Show That Invites Heckling

Welcome to Hecklers Welcome!, San Francisco’s only stand-up show where you get to talk back. This is not your average comedy night—this is a full-blown verbal brawl, where comics come ready to spar and the audience gets a license to heckle. Got jokes? Bring ’em. Got beef? Air ...Every Thursday

Free Admission Day at SF Botanical Garden for New Year’s Day 2026
Thursday, January 1 – 7:30 am - Ends at 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and daily from 7:30-9 am
| San Francisco Botanical Garden
Free Admission Day at SF Botanical Garden for New Year's Day 2026

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds ...Monthly

SF’s Holiday Ice Skating Session at Union Square (New Year’s Day)
Thursday, January 1 – All Day | Cost: $22 | Union Square Park
SF's Holiday Ice Skating Session at Union Square (New Year's Day)

One of San Francisco’s favorite holiday traditions returns for the 2025-26 holiday season. Since 2008, The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square has delighted children and adults with its holiday-themed ice park located in Union Square. Gather your family and friends for a beloved ...

SF’s 12 ft. Tall “Sugar Castle” at the Westin St. Francis (Nov. 26-Jan. 2)
Thursday, January 1 – All Day | Cost: FREE | The Westin St. Francis
SF's 12 ft. Tall “Sugar Castle" at the Westin St. Francis (Nov. 26-Jan. 2)

The Westin St. Francis’ iconic Sugar Castle celebrates 20 years of holiday magic in San Francisco. This nearly 12-foot-tall, 1,000-pound masterpiece features more than 20 towers, 15 illuminated rooms, and a running train, bringing a whimsical French château to life in the heart of the ...

13th Annual “First Day” Hike at Jack London Stat Park (North Bay)
Thursday, January 1 – 10:00 am - Ends at 3:00 pm | Cost: $15*
*$15 plus $10 per vehicle park entry fee
| Jack London State Historic Park
13th Annual "First Day" Hike at Jack London Stat Park (North Bay)
Jack London State Historic Park will kick off the new year with their 13th Annual First Day Hike and a “Gentler Version” of the First Day Hike, both on January 1, 2026. The traditional trek can be either a personal challenge to make it to the ...
2026 NYD Ocean Beach Plunge + Naked Bike Ride (SF)
Thursday, January 1 – 10:30 am - Ends at 3:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Ocean Beach Great Highway & Taraval
2026 NYD Ocean Beach Plunge + Naked Bike Ride (SF)
It’s the 11th Annual New Years Day Polar Plunge and World Naked Bike Ride-San Francisco, Plunge & Beach Party. Since 2011, the Riptide Bar on Taraval sponsored Polar Plunge that has drawn 400 or more people every year. It stands to reason several hundred will show ...
Cancelled: Free First Thursdays at Berkeley Art Museum
Thursday, January 1 – 11:00 am - Ends at 7:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free admission to galleries. Film programs are excluded. No advanced tickets required, but subject to capacity limits
| Berkeley Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive
Cancelled: Free First Thursdays at Berkeley Art Museum

The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day Monthly

2026 New Year’s Day “Hatsumode” Japanese Shrine Visit (SF)
Thursday, January 1 – 11:00 am - Ends at 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Konko Church of San Francisco
2026 New Year's Day "Hatsumode" Japanese Shrine Visit (SF)
Come on by the Konko Church of San Francisco to experience your traditional Japanese New Year’s Day Shrine Visit, Hatsumode! Come start the year off right and ring the traditional shrine bell for prosperity. Write your wishes and prayers on a Shide (Sacred zigzag paper) and hang it on ...
San Jose’s New Year’s Day “Skate Under the Palms” Ice Skating
Thursday, January 1 – 11:00 am - Ends at 10:30 pm | Cost: $21*
*$21 includes skate rentals
| Downtown Ice (San Jose)
San Jose's New Year's Day "Skate Under the Palms" Ice Skating

Located at 120 S. Market St., the downtown San Jose rink opens on Wednesday, November 26, and operates daily through January 19, 2026. Skate in true California style. A local tradition since 1994, Skate Under the Palms, formerly known as Downtown Ice in San Jose, ...

New Year’s (& Final) Day at San Jose’s “Christmas in the Park”
Thursday, January 1 – 12:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free, but donations are accepted
| Plaza de Cesar Chavez
New Year's (& Final) Day at San Jose's "Christmas in the Park"

Christmas in the Park is an annual holiday tradition that takes place in the heart of downtown San José at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez. For over 45 years, this whimsical walk-thru event has brought people from all over the Bay Area together during the ...

SFMOMA’s “Free First Thursdays” Free Museum Day for Locals
Thursday, January 1 – 12:00 pm - Ends at 8:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us
| SFMOMA
SFMOMA's "Free First Thursdays" Free Museum Day for Locals

All residents of the nine Bay Area counties are invited to spend a day at the museum on us! From noon–8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, Bay Area residents can enjoy SFMOMA’s galleries filled with lively and inspiring art and related events ...Monthly

Free New Year’s Day 2026 Huge Sand Art-Making at Ocean Beach (SF)
Thursday, January 1 – 1:00 pm - Ends at 3:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Open to all
| Ocean Beach (Below Cliff House)
Free New Year's Day 2026 Huge Sand Art-Making at Ocean Beach (SF)
Welcome the New Year by creating a monumental, collaborative artwork at the beach. All ages and abilities welcome. Free Huge Sand Art Creation on Ocean Beach w/ Artist Andres Amador (SF) Andres Amador is an earthscape artist from San Francisco who is well known for creating massive ...
Free SF Chamber Orchestra Concert on New Year’s Day (Palo Alto)
Free SF Chamber Orchestra Concert on New Year's Day (Palo Alto)
Always Admission Free…because world class music belongs to EVERYONE! These concerts are in Memory of SFCO Founder, Edgar Braun and Ida Braun Program Louise Farrenc – Symphony No. 3, mvt. 4 Niccolò Paganini– Violin Concerto, mvt. 1 Lisa Saito – Debut Artist Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 Ring in the New Year with the SFCO and the ...
New Year’s Day at Oakland Zoo’s “Glowfari” 2025 Lights Festival
New Year's Day at Oakland Zoo's "Glowfari" 2025 Lights Festival

Glowfari returns in November 2025! This wildly popular, family-friendly experience features hundreds of ALL new, larger-than-life animal lanterns throughout the Zoo. Each lantern tells the story of the ongoing journey of wildlife, the importance of every species on our planet, and Oakland Zoo’s commitment to ...

SF’s Epic “Photosynthesis” Light Show | Conservatory of Flowers
Thursday, January 1 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 11:59 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free to watch from outside the building.
| San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
SF's Epic "Photosynthesis" Light Show | Conservatory of Flowers

Light up the season with Photosynthesis, This beautiful light art installation was developed in partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and was designed by Lumigeek with music by Tim Digulla. The installation uses special projectors to transform the all-white glasshouse into a ...

5:00 pmSF’s Free DFT Monthly Block Party: “Downtown First Thursdays” (2026)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP
New Year’s Day at “Lightscape”: Immersive Holiday Light Trail
Thursday, January 1 – 5:00 pm - Ends at 8:15 pm | Cost: $32*
*Adult tix start at $32
| San Francisco Botanical Garden
New Year's Day at "Lightscape": Immersive Holiday Light Trail

San Francisco Botanical Garden will transform into a glowing after-dark wonderland this winter with Lightscape, an immersive holiday light and music trail that has wowed crowds in London, Chicago, Melbourne, and New York. From November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026, visitors can wander a ...

SF’s 2025 Macy’s Union Square Great Christmas Tree (Final Night)
Thursday, January 1 – 6:00 pm - Ends at 10:00 pm | Cost: FREE | Union Square Park
SF's 2025 Macy's Union Square Great Christmas Tree (Final Night)

This iconic landmark, Macy’s Great Tree in Union Square, returns decorated in an abundance of festive ornaments and glimmering lights to light up Union Square throughout the holidays. 2025 update – The official lighting quietly took place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025. San Francisco’s most ...

6:00 pmLower Polk / TL Art Walk | Trendyloin  FREE
9:00 pm16th & Mission Open Mic (w/out a mic)  FREE*
*Absolutely free for all!
9:00 pmEvery Thursday: “Inner Circle” Dance Party at White Rabbit (SF)  FREE*
*Inner Circle is always Free with RSVP
9:30 pmSadderday: An Emo/Pop-Punk/Screamo Dance Party | SF  FREE

Every Thursday

“Level Up Thursdays”: Free Video DJ Dance Party | SF
Every Thursday – 9:00 pm - Ends at 2:00 am | Cost: FREE | Raven Bar
"Level Up Thursdays": Free Video DJ Dance Party | SF
Every Thursday night, Raven Bar & Lounge hosts a free dance party with DJ Mark Andrus who will play your favorite throwback jams. Drink Specials All Night $10 Mixed Cocktails $6 Beer $6 Seltzer Video DJ Mark Andrus Level Up Thursday: Every Thursday at 9 pm Raven Bar & Lounge, 1151 Folsom St., SF FREE Updated ...
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