San Francisco Annual Events You Don’t Want to Miss

SFWanderlust Team November 27, 2018

Hello !

Welcome back everyone and thank you again for tuning in. As some of you know last Thursday was Thanksgiving, one of America’s biggest holidays alongside Christmas, Easter, and New Year. It was the day we give thanks to our family, friends, and anyone else that we feel grateful for. It was also a day you eat Turkey, ham, and mash potatoes – OK minus the first two if you’re vegetarian. Today I wanted to share with you a few ways to find out about events in San Francisco and the areas around. Going back to Thanksgiving, I am thankful for those who had emailed us asking about events they should attend while in San Francisco to make their trip even more meaningful. Let’s get started.

FYI – For your information

First, let’s point out the obvious. There are the annual events that are here to stay (unless the city decides to cancel them, which are as rare as never) so you can always count on them. On the other side of the spectrum, we have events that don’t occur on a regular basis and are announced some time in advance. These include concerts, baseball or basketball games, circus performances, etc. Depends on your preferences and trip schedule, the latter will always be more accessible as there are always some events going on in the city. In this post, we’ll cover annual events and follow up with non-annual events in the next post.

In no particular order, you have Bay to Breakers annual footrace taking place in May. The race starts from the Embarcadero and ends at Ocean Beach, which totals about 7.5 miles long. It’s really common for participants to join the race in amazing costumes. This is an event focused both on health and fun! Then there’s the New Year’s Eve Fireworks, which starts precisely at midnight on the 1st. of each year. This event takes place at the Ferry Building. If you miss it, you’ll see it on TV as San Francisco’s fireworks always get covered.

In my experience

I used to attend this event, but haven’t gone in the last two years. I always end up having to look for my friends there as each of us always ends up at a different place. My alternative now is to enjoy the fireworks from other areas. This year, for example, I went to the Painted Ladies and had a fantastic view there, and the crowd was nowhere unmanageable.

The year prior I went to Treasure Island, which is, in my opinion, the most desired location because behind the fireworks are the skyscrapers and both the Bay Bridge to the left and the Golden Gate Bridge to the right. The big issue here is parking. You will end up waiting hours at the Treasure Island exit if you try to head over there after 9pm because a good portion of the city population and travelers go there. Either get there by 6pm and get your parking or take a bus there.

What to look for ?

Next up are the Pride Parade and Lunar New Year. Pride parade, also known as Lesbian Gay Bisexual, and Transgender parade, takes place June 29-30, and it’s an event that celebrates and embraces the city’s diversity. You’ll see folks overdressed and underdressed, probably the later and it’s fun. There will be plenty of dance, music performances, food, and plenty of other activities.

As you are there physically, you’ll start to appreciate San Francisco’s diverse nature. We’re different in all aspects: race, culture, ethnicity, religion, language, food and a lot more and all these elements make for a great reason San Francisco is one of the most desired destinations among travelers.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is new year celebrated primarily by Chinese and Vietnamese communities. I, myself, being of Vietnamese descent, celebrate it myself. The date is different every year, but it’s usually around February 5. You’ll get a chance to enjoy dragon dances, food, and great Southwestern style music. There’s also a parade that happens in March. The holiday occurs according to the Lunar calendar so it’s not fixed around the same time as our Gregorian (solar) calendar. It’s definitely worth attending if you’re interested in learning more about Asian culture.

Oh, you’ll also see Lunar New Year decoration throughout the city, typically in the form of Chinese lanterns and whatever the animal the year belongs to. The lunar calendar goes by animals, and there are twelve of them in total, each representing one year.

Is that all ?

Last but certainly not least, Thanksgiving. After all, this day is what America is known for. You have Christmas, New Year, and Easter in many other areas of the world. I highly recommend experiencing Thanksgiving. It most of the time falls on the fourth Thursday of November. If you have friends or distant family here, I am sure they’ll be more than welcome to have you. Otherwise, some events get people together at some public locations, and that’s also a great way to enjoy Thanksgiving and make friends. I’ll share how to look for events in the next post.

So the above are four worthy annual events that you could prepare your schedule for if any of the stuff I mentioned interests you. There are a laundry list of other annual events in San Francisco that you could google. In our next post, we’re going to share ways you can search and attend events.

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