The ultimate list of holiday events in San Francisco! 

Easy holiday photo - despite minimal risk of electrocution

Fisherman's Wharf lighted boat parade - we brought a thermos of hot-toddies

Bayview Opera House always has an amazing event - food. "ice" skating, and lots of community

Museum of Ice Cream holiday fun

Ghirardelli tree lighting - free chocolate, face painting, carolers, Santa photos, the works! (even snow!)

Union square has so much for the holidays - like the HUGE sugar castle in the lobby of the St. Francis

Cole Hardware has had a make-your-own-wreath event in the back of their store

Kimochi holiday fair - online this year, but still a great community event

The best things in life ARE free - lots of special Santas around and on this list

Bill Graham menorah lighting in Union Square - first public menorah in the USA!

Live reindeer on a parklet in Noe Valley, no big deal lol

Fioli on the peninsula knows how to do Christmas....

Park and Rec light the tree outside of McClaren lodge every year and every year out-do themselves in terms of festivities. Not to be missed

Ice staking at the embarcadero - we always seem to find friends who have free passes....thank you!

A walk-in gingerbread house and a huge tree, all free? yep! At the Fairmount hotel

20 minute version of the Mark Foehringer's Nutcracker partnered with SFPL - Nutcracker Sweets at Cowell Theater at Fort Mason

The Caltrain holiday train this was so cool!

Merchants took over a parking lot in West Portal and brought in a truck of snow because, why not?

Yes they want your money and it's cheesy, but the Macy's holiday tree is pretty classic and a can't-be-missed

Unbelievable this is a full-symphony at a brewery playing the Messiah. Every year at Southern Pacific (owned and operated by a local boy!)

Zoo lights is worth it

The Great Dickens Fair celebrates Christmas in style (this is our 3 year old performing on stage with the amazing crew/cast at the Fair!)

This is a website to celebrate holidays in San Francisco. The San Francisco Bay Area has a lot of great holiday events but I'm doing this as a hobby and it's hard to keep track of everything. But if you have a family-friendly and preferably free holiday, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Solstice or anything else, please share it with me - the more the merrier! Holidays in San Francisco are full of events that celebrate this place's diversity and warmth even if living here can be difficult. That's why I made holidays in San Francisco in the first place (-: 
​All photos taken and owned by Trevor McNeil. In the past we have focused on free events, this year 2023, we're expanding to paid stuff because artists, local shops, and musicians are still struggling after COVID.