Home » **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, In Person, San Francisco, Thanksgiving

SF City Hall Lights Up for Thanksgiving 2024 (Nov. 28-29)

Friday, November 29, 2024 - 5:00 pm to 11:59 pm | Cost: FREE
San Francisco City Hall | 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Pl., San Francisco, CA

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SF City Hall Lights Up for Thanksgiving 2024 (Nov. 28-29)

San Francisco’s City Hall and its 220+ state-of-the-art LED lighting fixtures will illuminate in beautiful shades of amber in celebration of Thanksgiving, November 28-29, 2024.

It’s a great photo opportunity to capture San Francisco’s iconic dome lit up for the occasion.

The schedule is always tentative for the holiday lighting and subject to change when there are special events and the building is lit in honor of those. Check sfgov.org/cityhall/lighting for the latest updates.

About City Hall’s Exterior Lighting

Every evening at sunset, over 220 state-of-the-art LED lighting fixtures illuminate City Hall’s exterior. Normally, a soft white glow shows off the play of light and shadow on the full façade and dome. Frequently, special plaza façade lighting schemes honor or celebrate events, seasons, and holidays.
Until 2016, the lights were standard incandescent bulbs. Changing their colors was expensive and time-consuming; two to three building staff members, plus a crew of four staff from a lighting contractor, spent hours crawling in and out of office windows and onto the rooftop to install colored theatrical gels on each of the 220 fixtures, even in bad weather. For removal of the gels, the whole process happened in reverse.

Power use is now much lower, and with just an occasional cleaning, maintaining the fixtures is much easier: LED bulbs last as long as 20 years.

November 2024’s SF City Hall Lighting Events

  • Saturday, November 2, 2024 – orange/gold – in recognition of the San Francisco Symphony’s annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration
  • Sunday, November 3 and Monday, November 4, 2024 – red/white/blue – in recognition of Get Out the Vote
  • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 – red/white/blue – in recognition of Election Day 2024
  • Wednesday, November 6, 2024 – teal – in recognition of the Alzheimer Foundations’ annual “Light the World Teal” Campaign
  • Thursday, November 7, 2024 – red/yellow – in recognition of American Indian Heritage Month
  • Friday, November 8, 2024 – Poppy/Navy – in recognition of the BayFC making the Playoffs
  • Saturday, November 9, 2024 – red/white/blue – to commemorate the Legion of Honor’s 100th Anniversary and the U.S./France Relationship
  • Monday, November 11, 2024 – red/white/blue – in recognition of the Veteran’s Day Holiday
  • Friday, November 15, 2024 – pink/yellow – in recognition of Bhanga and Beats Night Market Diwali Celebration
  • Sunday, November 17, 2024 – yellow/black – in recognition of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
  • Monday, November 18, 2024 – purple – in recognition of World Prematurity Day
  • Tuesday, November 19, 2024 – red/white – in recognition of the National Day of Monaco
  • Wednesday, November 20, 2024 – blue/pink/white – in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance
  • Monday, November 25, 2024 – orange – in recognition of the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women; this is part of the annual United Nations Campaign: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence
  • Thursday, November 28 through Friday, November 29, 2024 – shades of amber – in recognition of the Thanksgiving Holiday

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*, In Person, San Francisco, Thanksgiving
Address: 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Pl., San Francisco, CA

Friday, November 29, 2024

6:30 am   Free Ferry Ride Day: SF <-> Richmond Rides Free on Black Friday (2024)  FREE*
*Free rides every Friday on San Francisco Richmond Ferries from November 1 to end of 2024. No reservations required but seats are first come first served
9:00 am   Japanese Tea Garden’s Free Admission Hour (Golden Gate Park)  FREE*
*Free from 9-10am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; otherwise non-resident admission is $12 - $16 depending on the season. San Francisco residents are always free with valid ID
10:00 am   SF’s Civil War Era Fort’s New Film Series (July – Dec. 2024)  FREE
10:00 am   SF’s 40th Annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair (Nov. 23-Dec. 22)  $45*
*General Admission is $45; special discounts available
11:00 am   “Pay-What-You-Can” Taco Day at SF’s Tato (Every Friday)  FREE*
*Every Friday pay anywhere from $0 up to $10. When a customer pays the full price of $10, TATO will give a free meal to someone in need in The City. Please note promotion might end at any time
4:00 pm   Santa Rosa Winter Lights Tree Lighting Celebration (2024)  FREE
4:00 pm   Fan Expo San Francisco at Moscone Center (Nov. 29-Dec. 1)  $35
4:30 pm   Ghirardelli Square’s 2024 Holiday Lighting Ceremony  FREE
5:00 pm   $1 Drink Fridays: “Battle of the Decades” DJ Party (North Beach)  FREE*
*Free admission with RSVP on Eventbrite
6:00 pm   2024 Festival of Lights Parade (Niles)  FREE
7:00 pm   SF’s HellaSecret “Crazy Funny Asians” Friday Night Comedy Showcase (7p + 8:45p)  FREE*
*Free tickets, but RSVP Required. Donations ($5-$10) greatly appreciated. Otherwise, $15 adv / $20 door tickets also available
7:00 pm   Laugh GPT: SF’s First AI-Powered Stand-up Comedy Show (2024)  FREE*
*Use secret code HUMAN for comp tickets, otherwise, $10 off with secret code FUNCHEAP
All Day   SF’s Black Friday Ice Skating Dance Party w/ WiLD 94.9 at Union Square  $20*
*$20 adult tix (includes skate rental)
7:00 pm   FREE: Oakland’s HellaSecret Comedy & Cocktail Night 2024 (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   “Rush Hour Comedy Night” w/ SFs Best Black & Asian Comedians (The Function)  FREE*
*RSVP Required
7:30 pm   “Amadeus” Film w/ Live Orchestra from San Francisco Symphony (Nov. 29-30)  $99
7:30 pm   Multi-Platinum Recording Artist “G-Eazy” Live at the Fox Theater (Oakland)  FREE*
*WIN
7:30 pm   A Season of Winter Wonder at Chabot Space & Science Center (Nov. 29 – Jan. 5)  FREE*
*Some events are free, some included with admission and some are paid tickets
8:00 pm   SF’s 17-Year Run “Secret Improv Society” (Fridays & Saturdays)  $20*
*Normally $25, use secret code FUNCHEAP for $5 off tickets
8:00 pm   “The Stoner Comedy Jam” Friday Nights (SF)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP (21+ with Valid ID) - One item minimum purchase per person required
10:15 pm   SF’s Free Late Night “Crazy Funny Asians” 10pm Comedy Show (Fri & Sat)  FREE*
*Free tickets, but RSVP Required. Donations ($5-$10) greatly appreciated. Otherwise, $25 door tickets also available
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