San Francisco… land of the free. Here’s just the free stuff in SF and the Bay Area. Keep your wallet in your pocket and enjoy!
Wednesday, December 31
“Wiener Wednesday” Free Hot Dog Night at Rye (SF)
With a name like “Rye,” this bar is obviously whiskey-centric… but on Wednesday nights the bar leans towards tequila is also awesomely hot dog centric! Come to Rye Bar every Wednesday for free hot dogs with every Hornitos cocktail purchase. Mo and Kat are you ...Every Wednesday
Black Hammer’s Free “Hopped Up” Trivia Night (Every Wednesday)
Wednesday, December 31 – 7:00 pm |
Cost: FREE | Black Hammer Brewing
No pens, no paper. Join us for three rounds of fast-paced gameshow-style pub trivia in our taproom every Wednesday at 7PM. Free admission, with bonus points for fastest answer and a live scoreboard. Hopped Up Trivia at 7pm Black Hammer Brewing, 544 Bryant ...Every Wednesday
Whack Donuts NYE w/ Retro Game Tournament (SF)
Wednesday, December 31 – 7:00 pm - Ends at 1:30 am |
Cost: FREE | Whackdonuts
Join us as we ring in the new year this new years eve. Donuts, hot drinks, and a retro game tournament !!! The shop will be open regular hours and then open again at night, Watch the fireworks from embarcadero plaza 11:59pm , this was ...
Boogie NYE Bash w/ Free Midnight Toast (Phonobar)
Join us at Phonobar for a Boogie NYE party with DJs discoesq and On the Rocks playing disco, boogie, funk, house, and more all night.
Free champagne toast at midnight.
San Francisco New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Midnight (2025/2026)
Wednesday, December 31 – 11:59 pm |
Cost: FREE | Embarcadero
Ring in 2026 with San Francisco’s annual fireworks show over the Bay.
The big fireworks show will take place at midnight this year (December 31, 2025) on New Year’s Eve 2025/2026.
Say goodbye to 2025 and ring in the 2026 new year with 200,000 fellow bundled-up San ...
Thursday, January 1
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)
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
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
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
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 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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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)
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 ...
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 ...
SF’s Free DFT Monthly Block Party: “Downtown First Thursdays” (2026)
Downtown First Thursdays is back for a full year of street parties in 2026: Starting Jan 1, 2026 with a New Year’s Day Edition. DJs – Live Performances – Dancing – Drag – Food Trucks – Shopping – Fashion, and new surprises every month. All ...Monthly
