20 Festive Christmas Activities in San Francisco
Published December 2019 | Updated December 2024
Experiencing the Christmas activities in San Francisco is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays! There are tons of Christmas activities in San Francisco for both kids and adults to enjoy, with plenty of adults-only activities too.
The entire city is decked out in lights and Christmas decor, there are seasonal holiday performances, and bars transform into festive pop-ups with full holiday drink menus.
Visiting San Francisco during the Christmas season is a must-do holiday activity in the Bay Area for me. Not only is the city full of cheer, but many of the residents are transplants who leave during the holidays, making the city feel practically empty!
Tip: Bring an umbrella (I like a clear bubble umbrella so I can still see all the lights and decor!) and wear a raincoat, as the chance of rain is high this time of year!
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Ice Skate at Union Square
Nothing says Christmas like ice skating next to the largest Christmas tree in the city! The ice rink at Union Square has views of the decked-out department stores and hotels that surround it.
They have theme nights and fun events (like Drag on Ice!) and are open until 11pm for 1-hour skate sessions. You must book a time slot online in advance to skate at this rink.
Be sure to bundle up with warm and comfortable clothes! You may even want to bring a change of clothes in case of falls on the ice (it can get wet!).
Take Photos at the Union Square Giant Christmas Tree
Right next to the ice rink at Union Square is the largest Christmas tree in San Francisco, towering over the square at 83ft with more than 40,000 LED lights. It usually goes up around mid-November and remains until New Year’s Day.
The Union Square Christmas Tree is the most-recognized tree in the city, surrounded by hotels worthy of being in Home Alone 2, the decked-out Macy’s department store (closing in 2025), and high-end retailers. It’s donated to the city by Macy’s every year, so it’s future appearances are uncertain once Macy’s closes.
If you visit one Christmas tree on your trip to San Francisco, make it this one!
Go to the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus
Have afternoon tea at The Rotunda inside the Neiman Marcus department store in Union Square for an upscale Christmas activity.
The Rotunda is on the fourth level of the store with perfect views of the giant Christmas tree that stretches through all five levels. If you don’t want tea, they also offer dinner in The Rotunda.
If you want to visit for free just to see it, you can head to The Rotunda or go to the fifth level for the best views. It’s a perfect photo spot as well!
While they used to have a real/realistic tree (the below photos are from 2019), now it’s just made of string lights.
Look at the Macy’s window displays
Every year, Macy’s transforms their window displays into a mini animal rescue. Kittens from the SPCA and SF Animal Shelter are put in the windows with beds, litter, and toys for people to come peek at.
The best part? They’re all available to adopt! Hundreds of animals are adopted through these window displays each year.
The displays are adorable and if you’re not looking to adopt a kitten, consider donating. Volunteers stand in front of the windows with donation buckets.
Make sure you go around the building to find them – they aren’t at the front entrance pictured below.
Macy’s is planning to close in 2025, so 2024 is likely the last year these displays will be here unless the new tenants keep up the tradition.
Get Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Cafe
Did you know Irish Coffee in the US was first created in San Francisco?!
A fellow travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, is credited with bringing Irish Coffee to the US in 1952 – specifically to Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco.
He was challenged by then-owner Jack Koeppler to recreate a drink served at the Shannon Airport in Ireland, which we now call Irish Coffee.
Though it’s served year-round, it’s a great holiday tradition to grab an Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Cafe.
See the Westin St. Francis Sugar Castle
Each year, the Westin St. Francis Hotel displays a hand-crafted castle made of sugar in its lobby (up to 12ft tall!). The sugar castle has been created by their executive pastry chef, Jean-Francois Houdre, every year since he first came up with the idea in 2005.
I’ve been fortunate enough to stay at this hotel a few times during the holidays and love visiting to check out the sugar castle!
You don’t need to be a hotel guest to see the sugar castle — just walk into the lobby and find the display (it’s hard to miss!).
Visit the Fairmont Gingerbread House
The Fairmont Gingerbread House is a real-life gingerbread house made to be life-sized. It’s baked by the Fairmont’s pastry team and put together with real frosting and candy in their lobby.
When you first enter the lobby, you can smell the sweet scent of gingerbread wafting through the air!
Between the gingerbread house, stunning architecture, and large Christmas tree, the Fairmony oozes classy Christmas cheer.
The giant gingerbread house is free to visit and walk through, but you can book special events inside, like tea and dinner.
Watch a Performance at the Theater
San Francisco is a hub for art and theater! During the holidays, you can find multiple festive performances to attend at various theaters throughout the city.
Holiday performances:
The Nutcracker by the San Francisco Ballet
Explore the California Academy of Sciences
While the Cal Academy of Sciences is a great place to explore any time of year, special visitors arrive during the holiday season! You can visit baby reindeer, camels, and yaks at different times throughout December and January in the outdoor area of the Cal Academy.
Visits to the baby animals are included in your regular ticket! Check the dates on their website to find out which animals will be there on the dates you plan to visit.
Get Nerdy at the Exploratorium GLOW Exhibit
The Exploratorium hosts an 18+ After Dark event every Thursday where you can explore to your heart’s desire from 6-10pm without any kids running around!
This event is one of my favorite things to do in San Francisco for a fun date night or evening with friends. During the holidays, they open their annual GLOW light art exhibit where you can interact with their light-based exhibits to play and learn.
Check out the Pier 39 Christmas tree
An absolute classic Christmas activity in San Francisco — visit the tree at Pier 39!
It’s one of the most photographed trees in San Francisco because of its large ornaments that make the perfect backdrop. The live tree has been up every year (except 2020) since 1983 drawing visitors from all over the world.
It can get pretty crowded around here on weekends, so try to visit on a weekday or early in the day on a weekend if you want to avoid crowds.
Every half hour the lights on the tree synchronize with holiday music for a fun and festive show. Once the performance is over, the tree goes back to the normal lights among the ornaments
Live bands play at Pier 39 on specific days throughout December which adds a nice background to your holiday shopping around the pier.
Sip Hot Chocolate at Ghirardelli Square
One of the smaller areas in San Francisco is Ghirardelli Square. Famous for The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate shop, this square is one you don’t want to miss (especially if you love chocolate).
The original Ghirardelli chocolate shop serves a full menu of ice cream sundaes, chocolate shakes, and the most delicious hot chocolate I’ve ever had. If the small, original shop is too crowded, there’s another larger Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop just across the square!
Ghirardelli Square also has twinkling lights on its trees and throughout the entire square. The shops sprinkled throughout the square have some cute and unique gifts in case you want to do some Christmas shopping while you’re there.
The square hosts a variety of holiday events, including visits from Santa and Peppermint Bark Day (free!).
Get Jolly at the Holiday themed bars
If you’re looking for some 21+ Christmas activities in San Francisco, visit one of their holiday-themed bars! There are a few that pop up throughout the city for the holidays:
Miracle at PCH: Pacific Cocktail Haven turns into a winter wonderland each year. The famous pop-up company Miracle completely decks out this bar, along with over 100+ others worldwide each holiday season. There’s a $10 cover charge to enter this festive pop-up.
550 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Deck the Halls – An annual pop-up bar featuring a creative menu of Christmas drinks! There’s no cover charge to enter this bar — just walk in and order some drinks.
1787 Union St, San Francisco, California 94103
For a full list of Christmas bars in San Francisco, check out Secret San Francisco!
Photo via sf.eater.com
Shop and Eat at WinterWalkSF
Each December, Stockton Street in Union Square transforms into a Winter Walk with food trucks, beer and wine gardens, and craft holiday cocktails. There are also live performances, holiday sweet treats, and snow!
It’s only open for a short time, so check their opening dates/hours before you plan your Christmas activities in San Francisco to be sure they’re open.
Photo via RHAA.com
Shop at the Ferry Building Marketplace
The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero plays host to a variety of community events throughout the year, including a weekly farmers’ market. During the holidays, their marketplace becomes a festive hub for Christmas shopping and seasonal events like cookie decorating.
One of the best things about the marketplace is the number of local businesses and artisans who have storefronts here! It’s a great place to support local businesses while partaking in the holiday cheer.
Take a Lights Tour in a Tuk-Tuk
Bundle up and book a private tuk-tuk tour of the best Christmas sights around San Francisco! With heated seats, blankets, and hot chocolate, you’ll stay plenty warm during the 1.5-hour ride through the city.
The tour includes a knowledgeable guide and over a dozen stops at landmarks and Christmas displays, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Fairmont Gingerbread House, Union Square, and Pier 39.
Attend Midnight Mass at Grace Cathedral
All religions (and non-religious people) are welcome to the midnight mass at Grace Cathedral! Even the atheists recommend it as one of the best Christmas activities in San Francisco.
Although midnight mass is traditionally a religious event, the one at Grace Cathedral draws people from all religions because of how beautiful it is. The “midnight” mass starts at 11pm and goes until 12:30am on Christmas Eve.
Enjoy performances from the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys and a full orchestra, as well as a Carol Prelude at 10:30pm before the midnight mass officially starts.
If you can’t see it in person, they do a livestream!
Admire Christmas Lights in the Neighborhoods
San Francisco residents make a BIG deal about Christmas and many of the neighborhoods put in effort to decorate their houses for the holiday season.
You can drive or walk around the city hunting for Christmas lights or make a list and route of all the best Christmas lights in the city in advance! Walk San Francisco has a few different walking routes for checking out the houses with Christmas decor.
Two of the most decorated houses in San Francisco:
45 Upper Terrace
68 Castro Street
Find All the Christmas Trees
There are over a dozen decorated Christmas trees throughout San Francisco during the holidays! While some are well known, like the Union Square and Pier 39 trees, others aren’t as easy to discover.
Where to find some of the best Christmas trees in San Francisco:
City Hall – 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102
Union Square – 170 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Pier 39 – 39 Pier 39, San Francisco, CA 94133
Neiman Marcus – 150 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Fairmont Hotel – 950 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Palace Hotel – 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Civic Center Plaza – 335 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Grace Cathedral – 1100 California St, San Francisco, CA 94108
California Street Plaza – 555 California St, San Francisco, CA 94104
Walk Through Winter Wonderland at Thrive City Chase Center
The Chase Center has an annual Winter Wonderland ice skating rink complete with live music and performances, sweet treats, and the tallest Christmas tree in San Francisco at 90’ tall!
Christmas isn’t the only holiday they celebrate — they also host Hanukka and Kwanza celebrations!
