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San Francisco’s Winter Festivals & Street Fairs (2024/2025)

All the 2024/25 dates for 20+ of SF’s most fun winter festivals and street fairs including holiday lighting ceremonies, Drag Queens on Ice, Santa Skivvies and more!
By - posted 1/14/2025 No Comment

Winter is coming! Here’s a round-up of fun and fabulous winter festivals and street fairs you can look forward to this Winter 2024.

> Please note that we’ll be continuing to update our Winter Festivals & Street Fairs Guide for 2024.

NOVEMBER 2024

DECEMBER 2024

JANUARY 2025

FEBRUARY 2025

2024 Día de los Muertos in the Sunset

November 1, 2024 – SF (Outer Sunset) – FREE – Come and enjoy a night full of food, music, dance, and compassion as we mourn our loved ones through the joys of life. Watch Folklorico dancers weave a story through performance, and create and set up an ofrenda, or alter offering, for your loved ones.

“Halloween Hoopla” Kids Festival in the Park 2024

November 2, 2024 – SF (SoMa) – FREE – The 24th annual Halloween Hoopla returns with awe-inspiring performers from Circus Bella plus live music from the Circus Bella All-Star Trio. The Hoopla grand finale is the popular Halloween Costume Parade – all kids are welcome to join in their best Halloween looks.

SF’s 2024 Dia de los Muertos Festival of Altars

November 2, 2024 – SF (Potrero Del Sol Park) – FREE – Every November 2nd, Marigold Project produces the Dia de Los Muertos Festival of Altars to honor your ancestors and understand where we come from with community altar building at 8am, ceremony at noon, and performances at 5pm. Then you can join the Day of the Dead Ritual Procession that typically begins at 22nd and Bryant Streets.

2024 “Dia de los Muertos” 43rd Annual Procession in The Mission

November 2, 2024 – SF (Mission Dist.) – FREE – Join the procession through The Mission to honor our ancestors, with Azteca Dancers leading the way, stopping at each main corner of the four stops and performing a ritual dance.

Renegade Craft Fair Winter 2024

November 2-3, 2024 – SF (Fort Mason) – $5 Suggested Donation – Shop from over 250 artists at Renegade San Francisco featuring the best artist-made gifts, creative small biz goods, and handmade treasures, all in time for the holidays.

San Francisco Tea Festival 2024

November 2-3, 2024 – SF (Ferry Bldg) – FREE* – If you love tea, there’s probably no better event all year to attend. Explore and taste hundreds of teas from 30+ different tea makers. Vendors include established brands and local artisans. *Free tickets are sold out! GA Tickets start at $24 and include free tastings and a souvenir porcelain tasting cup.

SF’s Holiday Ice Skating Rink: 2024 Opening Day w/ Free Ice Skating

November 6, 2024 – SF (Union Square) – $20 General Admission (includes skate rental) – One of San Francisco’s favorite holiday traditions returns for the 2024-25 holiday season. From November 6, 2024 through January 20, 2025, enjoy ice skating in San Francisco’s iconic Union Square plaza surrounded by festive lights and the sights and sounds of the season. Plus for Opening Day, the first 100 guests skate for free during the 5:30pm and 7pm sessions on November 6, 2024.

SF”s 2024 “Laternenfest” German Autumn Lantern Festival

November 8, 2024 – SF (Presidio) – FREE – Celebrate “Laternenfest” and enjoy German food, student performances, lanterns, and a delightful evening stroll through Eureka Valley’s charming streets.

Legion of Honor Free 3-Day Weekend for 100th Anniv.

November 9-11, 2024 – SF (Legion of Honor) – Free but tickets required – In a rare three-day event, San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum will open its doors for free to all visitors from November 9-11, 2024, in celebration of its 100th anniversary with a “cake picnic” on Saturday and special Monday opening for Veteran’s Day.

The San Francisco Fall Cider Fest 2024

November 9, 2024 – SF (SPARK Social SF) – $59 – Raise your glass and sip your way through unlimited pours of 30+ ciders featuring flavors like sweet honey-sage, agave ginger, sour blood orange, and tropical passionfruit. Indulge in all your fall food truck favorites, warm up by the fire pit with s’mores, and snap Insta-worthy shots at our awe-tumn photo ops—all while grooving to live beats.

2024 “SF Tweed Ride” Dress Up Bicycle Party

November 9, 2024 – SF (Alamo Square Park) – FREE – The Tweed Ride is a dapper bicycle party through the streets of San Francisco. Don your best tweed and join the group ride which stops for a picnic along the route and ends with drinks.

Free National Parks Day

November 11, 2024 – All National Parks – FREE –  Enjoy free entry to all national parks and monuments including Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, and free admission aboard all of the historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier of SF’s Maritime National Historical Park

SF’s First Official Diwali Celebration & Night Market

November 15, 2024 – SF (Downtown) – FREE – Bhangra & Beats wraps up the 2024 season with a historic celebration—the inaugural official City of San Francisco Diwali event with a night market with an array of South Asian vendors and food, plus performances on two stage

40th Annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair 2024

November 23 – December 22, 2024 – Daly City (Cow Palace) – $45 (Adult General Admission Tix; discounts available) – The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a one-of-a-kind immersive adventure into Victorian London ~ an elaborate holiday party with hundreds of costumed players performing and interacting with patrons in over 140,000 square feet of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance floors, and festive shops.

Indigenous Peoples’ Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering 2024

November 28, 2024 – SF (Alcatraz) – FREE (but adult boat tix to Alcatraz are $15.50) – The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony is an annual event held every year on Thanksgiving on Alcatraz Island, part of the San Francisco Ohlone Territory, to commemorate the 1969-71 occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes. Typically, there are presenters on current and past Indigenous Peoples’ struggles to defend human rights, sovereignty, treaties, sacred sites, and traditional lands, plus drummers and dancers.

2024 Ghirardelli Square’s Holiday Lighting Ceremony

November 29, 2024 – SF (Ghirardelli Square) – FREE – Enjoy the annual holiday performance by the SF Boys Chorus, singing classic holiday tunes around the fountain in the Main Plaza. Warm up with a cup of peppermint hot cocoa as you experience the magical lighting of the Square and the iconic Ghirardelli sign.

Thrive City “Winter Wonderland” Lighting Ceremony

November 30, 2024 – SF (Thrive City) – FREE – SF’s Winter Wonderland is tipping off the festive season with the annual Lighting Ceremony featuring the Bay Area’s largest tree standing at 90 feet tall plus live music from Montell Jordan and a special appearance from Warriors legend, Festus Ezeli.

2024 Nob Hill Tree Lighting Ceremony

December 2, 2024 – SF (Nob Hill) – FREE – Kick off the holiday season at the annual Nob Hill Tree Lighting Ceremony with live seasonal music from the popular French American Jazz Quartet, cookies and hot beverages and remarks from local community leaders.

Castro Holiday Tree Lighting 2024

December 2, 2024 – SF (Castro) – FREE – Kick off the holidays as San Francisco lights up the iconic Castro Holiday Tree.

SF’s Drag Queens on Ice 2024

December 5, 2024 – SF (Union Square) – FREE to watch; $30 to skate (with skate rental) – Lace up your skates and twirl alongside the Queens and Kings or grab a prime spot rinkside to watch the fiercest drag personalities in the San Francisco Bay Area deliver holiday performances that’ll sleigh your heart away.

Let’s Glow SF 2024

December 6-15, 2024 – The country’s largest holiday projection event, will return to downtown San Francisco for the 2024 holiday season with whimsical, large-scale pieces of animated art across the facade of eight iconic SF buildings from 5:30-10:00 PM nightly. On Opening Night, the light shows begin at 7 PM following the performances plus there’s free hot cocoa and swag.

2024 Hayes Valley’s 34th Annual Holiday Stroll

December 6, 2024 – SF (Hayes Valley) – FREE – Stroll around the neighborhood surrounded by music, holiday lights, and decorated windows. Visit the shops for in-store activities, wine & treats, and special promotions.

2024 SF Holiday Maker Market & Chocolate Gallery

December 8, 2024 – A one-day-only holiday market with everything made right here in San Francisco plus a Chocolate Gallery filled with San Francisco chocolate makers.

Santa Skivvies 2024: Holiday Underwear Run Through the Castro

December 8, 2024 – SF (Castro) – FREE to watch; Donate to run – The Santa Skivvies Run is a festive romp through the Castro benefiting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Watch hundreds of bods drop trou, don Santa hats and reindeer antlers to help raise funds to support the free and local services of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

SF’s Mayoral Inauguration Celebration for Daniel Lurie

January 8, 2025 – SF (Civic Center) – FREE – San Francisco welcomes in Mayor Lurie as he is sworn in at an event in Civic Center Plaza and City Hall.

SF’s First Chintown Night Market of 2025

January 8, 2025 – SF (Chinatown) – FREE – In honor of Daniel Lurie’s inauguration as the 46th Mayor of San Francisco, San Francisco hosts the first Chinatown Night Market of the year with food, drinks and live performances featuring ZHU and DJ Ruckus.

 

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SF’s Lunar New Year “Good Luck” Parade

January 18, 2025 – SF (Richmond District) – FREE – Celebrate the Year of the Snake with the Richmond District’s first-ever Lunar New Year Parade.

San Francisco Giants 2025 FanFest Tour

January 18 (Napa) & January 25 (San Jose); February 1 (Sac); March 8 (SF) – Napa, San Jose, Sac & SF – FREE – Current and former Giants players, coaches, broadcasters and Lou Seal caravan to meet fans in their local communities to sign autographs, participate in Q&A sessions, and more. The tour will conclude with an Open House at Oracle Park on Saturday, March 8, 2025, providing fans with access to exclusive ballpark locations, including the on-field activations as well as photo opportunities with the World Series trophies.

SF’s MLK Jr Day Celebrations

January 20, 2025 – All Over San Francisco – FREE – Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day with volunteering opportunities, a march and parade over the bridge, free Caltrain & BART Rides to SF’s MLK Day Festival, MoAD Free Museum Day MLK Jr. Day Music Festival and more.

Free National Parks Day for MLK Jr. Day 2025

January 20, 2025 – All Over USA – FREE – Celebrate MLK Jr. Day in nature. Enjoy free entry to all national parks and monuments including Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, and free admission aboard all of the historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier of SF’s Maritime National Historical Park.

San Francisco’s 2025 Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair

January 25-26, 2025 – SF (Chinatown) – FREE – Celebrate the Lunar New Year in San Francisco’s Chinatown Flower Market Fair for a shopper’s paradise with over 120 booths plus performances of traditional Chinese magicians, acrobats, folk dancers and opera.

2025 White Elephant Sale in 90,000+ Sq Ft. Warehouse

Jan. 26 – March 2, 2025 – Oakland – FREE (from 1-2pm on Public Shopping Days; $7 general admission; free all day on the Clearance Weekend Mar. 1-2; $50 on Preview Day Jan. 26) – At Northern California’s oldest and largest rummage sale, find a curated selection of one-of-a kind treasures from almost 20 departments in a warehouse nearly twice the size of a football field.

 

2025 Napa Lighted Art Festival

January 18 – February 16, 2025 – Napa – FREE –  This walkable outdoor experience is free in Downtown Napa featuring 11 lighted art sculptures for five weeks and projection artwork on three iconic downtown buildings for the first nine nights of the festival. Come on February 8 for a Glow Party.

2025 White Elephant Sale in a 90,000+ Sq Ft. Warehouse 

January 26 – March 2, 2025 (Select Dates) – Oakland – $7 or FREE (depending on date/time) –  The White Elephant Sale is Northern California’s oldest and largest rummage sale, featuring almost 20 departments in a warehouse nearly twice the size of a football field, in benefit of the Oakland Museum of California.

Union Square’s Huge 45-Ft Nude Woman Statue Unveiling Party

February 6, 2025 – SF (Union Square) – FREE – Celebrate the unveiling of Union Square’s new kinetic sculpture with Burning Man-inspired music, live DJ performances organized by Opulent Temple, photo opportunities with the sculpture, a full bar, food and a stunning lighting display by Illuminate and Mad Alchemy.

San Jose’s Lunar New Year-Tet Festival 2025

February 7-9, 2025 – San Jose – FREE – Celebrate the Year of the Snake at the largest Lunar New Year-Tet Festival in San Jose at Eastridge Mall for a free weekend of live music, performances, carnival rides, lion dances, food vendors, games, and more!

SFMOMA’s “Free Family Day” Free Museum Day

February 9, 2025 – SF (SoMa) – FREE* – SFMOMA opens up its doors to families for Free Family Day with art-making activities for the whole family and free admission for up to four adults accompanying each visitor 18 and younger.

2025 Sunset Lunar New Year Festival

February 9, 2025 – SF (Outer Sunset) – FREE – Celebrate Lunar New Year and welcome in the Year of the Snake with cultural performances, Lion dance, music, kids activities, arts and crafts and more.

The Great San Francisco Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight 2025?

February 14, 2025 – SF (Embarcadero Plaza) – FREE – Feathers fly at this fun, unofficial flash-mob type event which typically takes place annually on Valentine’s Day. The event is always tentative – there could be 1,000 people; there could be zero people. Show up with a pillow in hand, and get ready for a pillow fight.

2025 Chinese New Year Parade

February 15, 2025 – FREE – Named one of the world’s top ten parades, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia.

2025 Chinese New Year Street Fair in San Francisco

February 15-16, 2025 – FREE – Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s exhilarating Chinatown during one of the community’s most exciting times of the year with Chinese cultural arts such as Chinese folk dancing, opera, drumming, plus over 120 booths and concessions and much more.

Noise Pop 2025

Feb. 20 – Mar. 2, 2025 – All Over SF – Prices Vary – San Francisco’s indie music festival returns with its annual 10-day-long, multi-venue festival across San Francisco. Typically, they host free happy hour concerts.

 

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San Francisco Beer Week

Feb. 21 – Mar. 2, 2025 – All Over SF – FREE (Many events are free; some events are paid – prices vary) – Celebrate independent craft beers and those who brew them featuring typically 250+ events throughout the 10 days of SF Beer Week usually including trivia nights, comedy shows, special releases, and much more.

 

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