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Check out Illuminate San Francisco Festival of Light, Winter Walk SF, Home for the Holidays at Carolwood, and step into scenes right out of Jolly Olde London at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. Support our animal friends at Macy’s Holiday Windows, then don your finest Santa apparel and join the mob for the annual SantaCon run and pub crawl. Wonderful performances this month include Cirque Du Soleil Volta, the Beach Blanket Babylon: Holiday Extravaganza, Smuin: The Christmas Ballet, and the San Francisco Symphony’s delightful presentations of holiday film favorites “Love Actually” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Also, don’t miss “Night Bloom” at the Conservatory of Flowers through January 6. Lastly, in a city chock-full of exceptional eateries, here are a few suggestions for everything from classic French and upscale gastropub fare to innovative food and wine pairings to fresh coastal cuisine, hand-raised seafood, and fine steaks. Treat your taste buds to Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen, the Bluestem Brasserie, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Farallon, Hog Island Oyster Co.,  McCormick & Kuleto’s Seafood & Steaks, or Gary Danko for an unforgettable culinary experience. 

To help you get into the holiday spirit, we have listed more of our favorite seasonal events and activities here.

Get your holiday skate on at Embarcadero Center, and Union Square, and don’t miss a visit to Home for the Holidays at Carolwood at The Walt Disney Family Museum. Additional must-see holiday event includes Embarcadero Center’s Building Lighting Ceremony and Carnival which is the official start of the holiday season in the city. Light up your evenings with the Tree Lighting Celebration at Pier 39, and Macy’s Union Square Tree Lighting Celebration after Thanksgiving. Our favorite holiday movies, shows, and performances around town include The Velveteen Rabbit, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Love Actually, Holiday Soul with San Francisco Symphony, The Nutcracker with San Francisco Ballet, and The Christmas Ballet.  

Often the most indelible imprints left on our memories are those that come from “out of the box” observations and experiences outside of traditional learning venues. Today, progressive museums are using creative adventures and fun programs to “teach,” and five of the best of these are located right here in San Francisco. First, billing itself as “an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum,” the California Academy of Sciences acts as an advocate for environmental and sustainability education, and for science that may just save the planet. Next, the Exploratorium aims to transform the learning process by encouraging questions, use of hands-on experiences, and urging individual discovery.

The city's Cable Car Museum offers a combination of history and an up-close observation of the “last working system of its kind in the world.” The Conservatory of Flowers provides opportunities to observe rare flora and fauna with five galleries; each one spotlighting a different ecosystem. One such example is a Dracula orchid, which is native to Andean Cloud Forests. Lastly, in addition to mochi pounding, the Asian Art Museum offers storytelling using myths and folk stories enhanced by works of fine art to expose kids of all ages to Asian culture and the museum’s collection. 

Off the Grid in Fort Mason | Every Friday

Select from over 30 food vendors while enjoying drinks and live music from bands and DJ’s. It’s a weekly outdoor food truck gathering that will scintillate even the most discerning foodies.

Every Friday through October 26^th
5pm – 10pm 

Ferry Building Farmers Market | Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday

One of the top farmers market to visit in the country, featuring the freshest produce from the A-list farmers. Celebrity chefs can be spotted cruising the vendors and loading up their baskets.

Tuesday & Thursday: 10am – 2pm
Saturday: 8am - 2pm

Presidio Picnic | Every Sunday

Imagine a seven-acre lawn filled to the brim with people picnicking. Sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay keep participants mesmerized, while music, lawn games, yoga, and bike safety classes are available for added entertainment.

Every Sunday through October 21^st
11am – 4pm

Car Free at Golden Gate Park | Saturday & Sunday

John F Kennedy Drive is closed to cars and open to pedestrians on Sundays and all holidays from Stanyan to Park Presidio. Portions of JFK Drive (from 8^th Ave to Transverse Drive) are also closed to vehicle traffic on Saturdays from April through the end of September. Relish in the car-free environment to go running, skating, cycling, or whatever your heart desires.

Yoga on the Beach | Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Sign up for 75 minutes of yoga with the waves crashing in the background. Find your happy place while mastering your mountain pose. There are four classes per week and the scenery is unbeatable.

Wednesday & Friday: 6:15pm - 7:30pm
Saturday: 11am - 12:15pm
Sunday: 11:30am - 12:45pm

Giants and A's Day Games

Calling all baseball fans to spend a glorious day cheering for one of your favorite Bay Area teams in outdoor stadiums! We have two incredible teams, meaning we have twice the amount of games in the Bay Area. Have a chilled beer or some hot dogs as you watch America's favorite pastime in action.

Salt & Straw, 220 Fillmore St

Classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate are available for the little ones, while options such as green apple mayo sherbert and peach vinegar cobble with toasted nutmeg will intrigue the adults. Head to this Portland-founded shop, for ice cream masterly crafted from locally sourced food ingredients that are guaranteed to dazzle your taste buds.

Joe’s Ice Cream, 5420 Geary Blvd

Makes the kids happy while igniting your inner child with throwback flavors like root beer swirl and rum raisin. Step back in time to 1959 when this old-school spot first opened. Innovative scoops like chai tea and wasabi also make an appearance on the menu. We like to pair one classic scoop with one innovative scoop to make one power flavor explosion.

Bi-Rite Creamery, 3292 18th Street

Locals and visitors will tell you the line is worth the wait, and we can’t help but agree. For gourmet culinary combinations like Olive Oil and Balsamic Strawberry, we’d wait all day. All of the ice cream is made from organic eggs, milk, and cream from Straus Family Creamery, making it a genuinely local ice cream shop.

Go Bowling at Mission Bowling Club

Flex your skills while sipping on craft cocktails, noshing on mission-style food, and hanging with San Francisco's most hip locals at this trendy bar. Visit during the week for shorter waitlists.

Rent a Pedal Boat on Golden Gate Park’s Stow Lake

Step onto the deck of your own romance novel--sweeping city views, a cascading waterfall in the middle of the island, and groups of charming ducks create a picturesque atmosphere for snuggling and reconnecting. 

Spend a Night at the California Academy of Sciences

Sure you can visit the museum during the day like everyone else, or you can get wild and go at night. Every Thursday from 6 pm to 10 pm the museum goes nocturnal, opening its late-night doors and featuring weekly themes, like Golden State or Pride NightLife. Fully stocked bars are set up throughout the venue and local DJ's, like DJ Tanoa spin tunes all evening.

Bernal Heights Hill Swing, on top of Bernal Heights Hill - Hands down one of the most picturesque views--give your bestie a friendly push while capturing one of the highlights of the trip. You’ll both be swinging above the world after a relaxing hike up the Hill.

Pinhole Coffee, 231 Cortland Ave - Pop in for retro vibes, Verve coffee, and a snapshot of the rainbow-colored wall. 

Flora Grubb Gardens, 1634 Jerrold Ave - A place of inspiration, the succulent living wall is the most stunning background for best friend shots.

San Francisco is the ultimate girls trip. Glam up your Instagram feed with these colorful and envy-inducing photo ops.

Some people run, but most people walk. If you want to join, register early and let the good times roll. There are dance parties, bands, and even pub stops along the way. The event starts under the bridge at the bay and goes until the Breakers at the end of the Golden Gate Park. The only problem is that the event only happens once a year, although we wish it lasted longer. It's seriously one of the greatest group outings that occur in our gorgeous and vibrant town--and that’s saying a lot--because San Francisco has a dynamite line-up of exciting things to do! The event takes place on May 20th, 2018. For more information, click here.