Home » **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Fairs & Festivals, Hanukkah, In Person, San Francisco, Tree + Holiday Lightings

2025 Union Square’s Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah: 7th Night

Saturday, December 20, 2025 - 8:00 pm | Cost: FREE
Union Square Park | Geary and Powell, San Francisco, CA

Free / Learn More

Union Square’s 2025 Chanukah Festival: 25-Foot-Tall Menorah (Dec. 14-22)

Lighting it up since 1975, San Francisco celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first giant public menorah outside Israel, a landmark Bill Graham project that went on to inspire thousands of menorahs around the world. This year’s eight-night festival brings music, community gatherings, and nightly ceremonies honoring leaders and traditions across the Jewish community.

Union Square Menorah Lighting Schedule 2025

December 14-22, 2025


Sunday, December 14

Bill Graham Menorah Day

  • 2:00-6:30 pm – 1st Lighting Ceremony
  • 2:30-4:30 pm – Dreidel House Children’s Crafts
  • 2:00 pm – Children’s Chanukah Show by Isaac Zones
  • 3:15 pm – Shamati Live
  • 4:30-6:30 pm – Bill Graham All Stars featuring Jordan Feinstein (keys/vocals, Jordan and the Ritual), Byron Rynes (guitar, Grateful for the Blues), Aaron Kaplan (guitar), Ben Bernstein (bass), Michael Bogart (trumpet, formerly Tower of Power), and Greg Errico (drums, original Sly and the Family Stone)
  • 5:00 pm – Menorah Lighting Ceremony honoring SF Mayor Daniel Lurie, Rabbi Brian Lurie, State Senator Scott Wiener, Felix Vulis and Family, David Graham, Danny Scher, Friends of Bill, dignitaries and special guests

Monday, December 15

  • 5:00 pm – 2nd Lighting Ceremony


Tuesday, December 16

  • 5:00 pm – 3rd Lighting Ceremony honoring the Klaber and Krug Family
  • 6:30-8:00 pm – Chanukah Party at NEMA, 8 10th Street
    email to RSVP. Chanukah giveaways, festive holiday food, and DJ Malki.

Wednesday, December 17

  • 5:00 pm – 4th Lighting Ceremony honoring the SFPD and the Dryan/Bernstein Family
  • 8:00 pm – YJP Chanukah LUX @ Madarae (Tickets)

Thursday, December 18

  • 4:00-7:00 pm – Thrive City event (RSVP and more details)
  • 8:00 pm – 5th Lighting Ceremony in Union Square

Friday, December 19

  • 2:30 pm – 6th Lighting Ceremony


Saturday, December 20

  • 8:00 pm – 7th Lighting Ceremony
    Includes a Musical Havdalah Ceremony with Rabbi Shmulik Friedman, honoring the YJP Community.


Sunday, December 21

  • 4:00 pm – Live Music
  • 5:00 pm – 8th Lighting Ceremony (Grand Finale) honoring the Russian Jewish Speaking Community and the wider Jewish Community
    Co Sponsor: Shalom Bayit
  • 6:30 pm – SF Menorah Car Parade
    Email to RSVP, launch site info, and to get a menorah for your car or ride aboard the Mitzvah Cable Car straight from Union Square!

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Fairs & Festivals, Hanukkah, In Person, San Francisco, Tree + Holiday Lightings
Address: Geary and Powell, San Francisco, CA

Saturday, December 20, 2025

8:40 am   SF’s Alcatraz Night Tour: Alcatraz Island + World-Renowned Cellhouse  $47.95
9:00 am   Yoga in the Gallery (Morgan Hill)  $35
9:00 am   “Winter Jam” 2025: NorCal’s Biggest Drift Event at Sonoma Raceway (Dec 20-21)  $56*
*Single day and Weekend tickets available
9:30 am   Free “Legion of Honor” Museum Day for Bay Area Residents (Every Saturday)  FREE*
*Free general admission to Bay Area residents. Valid ID or proof of residency required. This offer applies only to the permanent collection galleries. Timed advanced tickets required
9:30 am   Free de Young Museum Day for Bay Area Residents (Every Saturday)  FREE*
*Free general admission to Bay Area residents. Valid ID or proof of residency required. This offer applies only to the permanent collection galleries. Advanced timed tickets required.
10:00 am   SF’s 41st Annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)  $45*
*General Admission is $45; special discounts available
10:00 am   Sloat Garden Center Winter Gift Market (SF)  FREE*
*Event is free- Succulent Wreath Workshop at event is $100 per person
10:00 am   Chabot Space & Science Center’s Winter Fest  FREE*
*FREE for Members, $24 Adults, $19 Children (2-12) and Seniors (65+)
10:00 am   Union Square’s Festive “Winter Walk” 2025 (Dec. 13-24)  FREE
10:00 am   WinterFest 2025: Cosmic Fun + Science Talks (Chabot Space & Science Center)  $24*
*$19 youth, Chabot Members get in FREE
All Day   Free PresidiGo Shuttle | Downtown to Presidio  FREE
10:00 am   The Wardrobe Project Flea (Rockridge BART Plaza)  FREE*
*Free for all ages!
10:00 am   Volunteer for Holiday Gift Deliveries to Elderly this December (SF)  FREE*
*This is a free event but volunteers will be required to complete a background check. Self pay or covered by LBFE.
11:00 am   “Science@Cal”: Renowned Scientist Lecture | UC Berkeley  FREE
11:00 am   Help Decorate SF’s First Rose Parade Float in Nearly 50 Years (Dec. 19-21)  FREE
11:00 am   SFMade’s 1st Ever “Holiday Pop-Up Store” (Final Day)  FREE
11:00 am   19th Annual Holiday Celebration + Free Festivities (Oakland)  FREE*
*MUST PRE REGISTER KIDS FOR TOYS REST OF EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
11:00 am   Rodeo Holiday “Indoors by the Bay” Market (East Bay)  FREE
12:00 pm   SF’s New “Fairmont Holiday Rooftop Faire” w/ Epic City Views (Dec. 19-21)  FREE
12:00 pm   Free Book Club: 1970s Sci-Fi at Gray Area (SF)  FREE
12:00 pm   “Love the City” Winter Wonderland Food & Toy Giveaway  FREE
12:00 pm   KOHO’s Holiday Artist + Maker Marketplace (SF)  FREE*
*RSVP preferred
1:00 pm   Faction Winter Market w/ 35+ Vendors + Craft Beer (Alameda)  FREE
1:00 pm   2025 Holidays on Fourth Street: SF Chorus Carolers | Berkeley  FREE
2:00 pm   “Home Alone” Film with Live Orchestra by the SF Symphony  $49.50*
*Ticket starts at $49.50 (while supplies last) | Kids’ Tickets Half Off!
2:00 pm   Livermore SantaCon  FREE
3:00 pm   4th Annual Caroling Fun Sing Along + Hot Cocoa (Novato)  FREE*
*Donation Tickets (optional)
5:00 pm   Check Out 20+ SF Fire Stations Light Up for the Holidays + Block Parties (2025)  FREE*
*Typically the fire departments will light up around sundown with block parties at some of the fire stations typically around 7-10p
7:00 pm   Laugh GPT: SF’s First AI-Powered Stand-up Comedy Show (2025)  FREE*
*Use secret code HUMAN for comp tickets, otherwise, $10 off with secret code FUNCHEAP
7:00 pm   Saturday Karaoke Night w/ Waterfront Views at Brooklyn Basin (Oakland)  FREE*
*ALL AGES - FREE
7:00 pm   FREE: Oakland Comedy Saturday Night @ Secret Speakeasy (7p + 9p Shows)  FREE*
*Limited free tickets with code FUNCHEAP (donations appreciated). Otherwise use code FUNCHEAP5 for $5 off early bird and general admission tickets
7:00 pm   “Crazy Funny Asians” Free Comedy Showcase (SF)  FREE*
*Free tickets, but RSVP Required. Donations ($5-$10) greatly appreciated. Otherwise, $25 door tickets also available
7:00 pm   San Francisco POC Comedy Night (Fridays & Saturdays)  FREE*
*Use secret code FUNCHEAP for comp tickets, otherwise, $10 off with secret code FUNCHEAP
7:30 pm   Solstice Celebration (San Rafael)  FREE*
*$20 suggested donation
8:00 pm   “Puff Puff Laugh” SF’s Cannabis Lounge Comedy Show (Moe Greens)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP (21+ with Valid ID) - One item minimum purchase per person required, but pre-rolls start at just $7
8:00 pm   $5 Off: “The Confessional” SF’s Wild “Sins & Secrets” Improv Comedy Show  $11.94*
*$5 off with secret code FUNCHEAP (normally $17.12) No added ticketing fees. No Drink Minimum
9:00 pm   Free Tix: HellaSecret “Desi Comedy Night” Live in SF (7p + 9p)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP for first 100 people. $25 at door without RSVP
9:00 pm   $5 Off: “Your Fucked Up Relationship” Live in SF (Every Friday & Saturday)  $16.37*
*$5 off with secret code FUNCHEAP (normally $21.49) No added ticketing fees. No Drink Minimum
9:00 pm   “Rush Hour Comedy Night” w/ SFs Best Black & Asian Comedians (The Function)  FREE*
*RSVP Required
10:00 pm   SF’s Late Night Stand-Up Comedy Olympics (SF vs. Oakland)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP
10:00 pm   Retro Rewind  FREE
10:00 pm   “Drunk Theatre” SF’s Wildest Comedy Show (Dec. 20)  $23.18*
*$23.18 adv / $25 door
11:00 pm   SF’s “Department of Nasty” Free Late-Night Comedy (1st & 3rd Saturdays)  FREE*
*FREE
11:59 pm   San Francisco Midnight Mystery Ride (Every Third Saturday)  FREE
< Friday, December 19 Sunday, December 21 >