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San Francisco’s Winter Festivals & Street Fairs (2023)

All the 2023/24 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 11/25/2023 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 2023.

> Please note that we’ll be continuing to update our Winter Festivals & Street Fairs Guide for 2023.

Día de los Muertos in the Sunset

Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 6p-9p – Sunset Mercantile (Outer Sunset) – 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.

SF’s Holiday Ice Skating Rink: Opening Day

Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 5p-7p – Union Square – The rink is open through Jan. 15, 2024 – One of San Francisco’s favorite holiday traditions returns for the 2023-24 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. Enjoy ice skating in San Francisco’s iconic plaza surrounded by festive lights and the sights and sounds of the season.

SF’s 2023 Dia de los Muertos

Thursday, November 2, 2023 – Every November 2nd, Marigold Project produces the Dia de Los Muertos, Festival of Altars (Altar building at 8a, Ceremony at 12p & 5p), and the Ritual Poetry Circle (5p-6p) in Potrero Del Sol Park, located at 25th Street and San Bruno Avenue. Then you can join the Day of the Dead Ritual Procession that typically begins at 22nd and Bryant Streets.

Renegade Craft Fair

November 4-5, 2023 – 11a-5p – Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion – $5 Suggested Entry – Shop from over 250 artists at Renegade San Francisco ~ featuring the best artist-made gifts, creative small bizz goods, and handmade treasures, all in time for the holidays!

San Francisco Tea Festival

November 4-5, 2023 – 10a-5p – San Francisco Ferry Building – 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 $25 and include free tastings and a souvenir porcelain tasting cup.

KOHO Japantown Film Festival

Saturday, November 4, 2023 – 12p-5p – Japantown Peace Plaza – The festival will feature three film shorts with a discussion panel with the filmmakers. Three films, all produced by stakeholders in our community, will focus on the Japanese American experience today: the influences of historical trauma, the resilience and strength of generations, and the search for cultural identity in purpose, place and community.

Fern Alley Music Series

November 4-18, 2023 – 12p-4p – Fern Alley – Enjoy live music, craft vendors, and local artists at the Fern Alley Music Series. Savor local eats from neighboring businesses, while listening to live music and engaging with local vendors.

Sounds of the Street Music Series

November 4-18, 2023 – 12p-4p – India Basin Shoreline Park – The series will bring music to the park on select Saturdays of November, featuring musicians and artists representing a variety of genres, including from the Bayview-Hunter’s Point community. Come out for Saturdays on the shoreline this fall for music, fun, and community!

Diwali Festival

Saturday, November 4, 2023 – 12p-3p – Unity Plaza – Join this vibrant Festival of Lights in Ocean Ave neighborhood featuring live entertainment, arts & crafts, vibes & culture + DJ!

SF’s Lowrider Cruise of the Mission

Friday, November 10, 2023 – 6p-9p – The Mission District – Check out the Bay’s most polished and decked-out lowriders cruising Down Mission Street every 2nd Friday of the month.

“Laternenfest” German Autumn Lantern Festival

Friday, November 10, 2023 – 4p-7:30p – GISSV San Francisco – Celebrate “Laternenfest” and enjoy German food, student performances, lanterns for sale, and a delightful evening stroll through Eureka Valley’s charming streets.

SF Chinatown’s New Night Market

November 10-11, 2023 – 5p-9p – A brand new night market is coming to San Francisco Chinatown, ahead of the APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which expects thousands of visitors to the City. Local merchants will be set up along a two-block stretch of Grant Avenue between Pine and Sacramento streets.

“2 Blocks of Art” Mid Market Art Walk

November 11-12, 2023 – 11a-6p – Central Market – Happening on Market Street between 5th and 8th streets, this free event showcases the incredible talent of local artists, bringing together a diverse range of art forms in unique showcase spaces.

The San Francisco Fall Cider Fest

Saturday, November 11, 2023 – 12p-4p – SPARK Social SF – NOT FREE – $45 – Early Harvest Unlimited Pours 12pm-4pm – Raise your glass and sip your way through unlimited pours of 30+ ciders with flavors such as sweet honey-sage, spicy ginger, sour blood orange, and tropical hibiscus. Plus, savor all your fall favorites from the food trucks! Keep toasty at a firepit with some s’mores, challenge your friends to lawn games, dance to live music, or let your competitive side shine in an eating contest.

“SF Tweed Ride” Dress Up Bicycle Party

Saturday, November 11, 2023 – Starts at Noon – Alamo Square Park – The Tweed Ride is a dress up bicycle party through the streets of San Francisco! What is tweed? Tweed is a traditional English outdoor sporting fabric commonly seen with a thick wool herringbone (chevrons or V’s) weave and often in earth tones.

“Disco YES!” Chinatown Art Block Party

Friday, November 17, 2023 – 3p-6p – Chinatown’s iconic Grant Avenue (between Clay and Washington) will be transformed into “Disco YES!” – an art block party filled with music, dance, and contemporary art installations.

Golden Gate Park’s Bike Ride & Sunset Viewing Party

Friday, November 17, 2023 – Join the Great Sunset Joy Ride & Happy Hour! Starts at 3pm for Bike ride from Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers to the Ocean at Great Highway and Judah, followed by 4p Happy Hour with live music and small bites from local restaurants at Great Highway and Judah then ends with 5p Sunset viewing.

Indigenous Peoples’ Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering

Thursday, November 23, 2023 – The ticket booth opens at 3:15 AM and boats will depart Pier 33 at approximately 4:15 AM, 4:30AM, 4:45 AM, 5:00AM, 5:15 AM, 5:30 AM, 5:45 AM, and 6:00 AM – Event is FREE, but boat tickets are $12 for adults. Free for children under 5 – The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremonies are annual events held on Alcatraz Island to honor the Indigenous Peoples of America and to promote their rights.

Ghirardelli Square’s Holiday Lighting Ceremony

Friday, November 24, 2023 – Starts at 4:30p – Sing along to a collection of Holiday Tunes with the SF Boys Chorus, just before Santa comes to officially illuminate Ghirardelli Square with Christmas Lights. Afterwards, visit Santa in the carillon to take a photo and receive a free Ghirardelli Chocolate chocolate square.

Scottish Highland Winter Festival

Sunday, November 26, 2023 – Starts at Noon – Golden Gate Park Bandshell – The golden hues of autumn pave the way for a spectacular celebration of Scottish music and culture. From the rousing tunes of the Prince Charles Pipe Band to the soulful melodies of Peter Daldry, this musical extravaganza promises to transport you to the heart of Scotland.

Nob Hill Tree Lighting Ceremony

Monday, November 27, 2023 – 4:30p – 7:30p – The Nob Hill Association will host its annual Nob Hill Tree Lighting Ceremony with live seasonal music from the popular French American Jazz Quartet, cookies and hot beverages, awarding ceremony, special presentation and more.

Thrive City “Winter Wonderland” Lighting Ceremony

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 – 5p-7p – Thrive City – The holidays are here! 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! This 2-hour showcase features live music from original member and founder of RUN DMC, Darryl McDaniels!

The Ritz-Carlton SF’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

Thursday, November 30, 2023 – 5:30p-7:30p – Join The Ritz-Carlton SF at their annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, hosted by Betty Yu and Liam Mayclem of KPIX-TV CBS and a Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area child.  The complimentary-to-the-public event will feature live entertainment with Dickens-era carolers and trumpeters, the legendary tree lighting at the hotel’s front drive, and photo opportunities with Santa Claus.

Hayes Valley’s 33rd Holiday Stroll

Friday, December 1, 2023 – 4p-9p – Join the 33rd annual Hayes Valley Holiday Stroll and enjoy an evening of Spectacular Holiday Merriment!

Let’s Glow SF

December 1-10, 2023 – The country’s largest holiday projection event, will return to downtown San Francisco for the 2023 holiday season with a huge light show on six iconic buildings in downtown including the Ferry Building for the first time ever. Nightly 5-10p with a grand opening ceremony on Friday, December 1, 2023 from 6-10pm with free hot cocoa and s’mores.

SF’s Drag Queens on Ice

Thursday, December 7, 2023 – 6:30p-8p – Union Square – Don’t miss out on the City’s most popular event of the holiday season—Drag Queens on Ice. Be a part of the fun, frivolity, and fabulousness on the ice! If you dare, skate with the Queens as they mingle and warm-up for their entertainment performances, or just grab a spot around the rink and watch San Francisco’s fiercest Bay Area Drag Queens give their holiday performances of a lifetime.

Santa Skivvies 2023: Holiday Underwear Run Through the Castro

Sunday, December 10, 2023 – Run begins at 11am – Starts and ends at Lookout (Noe/Market) – The Santa Skivvies Run is a festive romp through the Castro benefiting San Francisco AIDS Foundation when you can watch hundreds of bods drop trou, don Santa hats and reindeer antlers and help raise funds to support the free and local services of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.