Presenting Spotlight San Francisco. We've put the spotlight on some of San Francisco's most unique annual events, and combined an assortment of tours, attractions, restaurants and even hotels for you to create completely themed itineraries for your clients. Nearly all the themes and months are interchangeable, which means you can implement these itineraries any month of the year.

 

January. The Art of Food and Wine.

Dine about Town has become one of the most anticipated events in the San Francisco calendar. During the month of January over 100 restaurants offer 3 course prix fixe dining for an unbeatable price. Bring your group and create a feast for their senses.

  • Cooking Classes
  • Private wine tasting
  • Behind the scenes at the Ferry Building and farmers market
  • Culinary Walking Tours

 

February. Chinese New Year

Named one of the world's top 10 parades, the Chinese New Year Parade is the largest event of its kind outside of Asia. Nowhere in the world will you see a lunar new year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers, and, of course, the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. We will help you secure grandstand seats to the one of the most exciting events in San Francisco.

  • Asian Art Museum
  • Chinatown Walking Tour
  • Chinese Tea Tasting & Ceremony
  • Pacific Orchid Expo at Ft. Mason Center
  • Fortune Cookie Factory

 

March. Flower Power

Take a deep breath and plunge into a wealth of beauty and color, a respite from the outside world, a place to make you dream of paradise. Don't miss the Macy's Flower Show and Pier 39's Tulipmania.

  • Bouquets to Arts at the Legion of Honor
  • Conservatory of Flowers
  • San Francisco Botanical Gardens
  • Farmers Market

 

April. Spring Break.

From just-for-fun attractions to culturally enriching experiences, San Francisco is an ideal spot for a family vacation. Start your Spring Break with a visit to AT&T Park and watch the San Francisco Giants begin the baseball season.

  • Cherry Blossom Festival
  • Exploratorium - the museum of science, art and human perception
  • Alcatraz Island
  • Zeum - multimedia arts and technology museum
  • Walt Disney Family Museum
  • Museum of the African Diaspora

 

May. Carnaval

City blocks bursting with music, color, dance and exotic food of the many countries which celebrate Carnaval at the two-day outdoor cultural Festival. The highlight is the Grand Parade of lavish floats, costumed dancers, international musicians, colorful paraders, contingents of local school children and youth - a splashy, exciting parade of cultures.

  • Mission Dolores
  • Diego Rivera Murals located throughout the city
  • Anza Trail in San Francisco
  • Precita Eyes Muralists Association

 

June. Pride.

Natural beauty notwithstanding, the city's attitude more than latitude that has made San Francisco the "world's gay and lesbian capital." Diversity is celebrated year around, but in June the party heats up with special event, exhibits, and an unforgettable Pride Parade.

  • A walking tour of the Castro
  • San Francisco International Gay And Lesbian Film Festival
  • Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender History
  • The Gay Men's Chorus at The Castro Theater
  • James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the Main library

 

July. Bread and Cheese and Chocolate

Boudin, a San Francisco institution that baked its first sourdough loaf in 1849 and has since expanded to more than 30 bakery-cafés, offers a 25,000 square feet museum that is a fully interactive demonstration bakery with a walkthrough history of San Francisco sourdough.

  • Pescadero goat farm- See how award winning cheese being made.
  • Chocolate Exhibition at California Academy of Sciences
  • Visit a chocolate Factory
  • Cheese tasting at the Ferry Building
  • Wine tasting in and around San Francisco

 

August. Music, Muses and Muscles.

The inside thing to do is the Outside Lands Concert in Golden Gate Park. Combine that with some alfresco music in Stern Grove, a one-day salute to the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, two racing events and San Francisco’s natural inclinations. And eat up! It’s the annual SF Chefs food, wine and spirits week.

  • The Giant Race
  • La Cocina Street Food Festival
  • Running Tours
  • San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz
  • Stern Grove Festival

 

September. Arias, Architecture and Critics' Choice

The season begins for San Francisco’s world-famous San Francisco Opera  and San Francisco Symphony, celebrating its centennial year. Stagestruck? You should be. There’s plenty onstage from classic revivals to avant garde. More civic treasures are on display during a month-long architecture festival.

  • American Conservatory Theater
  • Architecture and the City Festival
  • City Hall Tour
  • Octagon House
  • SHN

 

October. Books, Blue Angels and Blue Jeans.

Literary luminaries get their due for the annual Litquake festival just as the jet stream fades from the Blue Angel air show during Fleet Week. Need some wardrobe tips for these only in San Francisco events? Visit The Vault at Levi’s headquarters, Battery and Bay, and learn more about this iconic San Francisco brand.

  • Bay Cruises and Sailing Charters
  • Crissy Field
  • Main Library San Francisco History Center
  • Maritime Museum

 

November. The Great Indoors and a Little DIY.

Craft fairs are plentiful and check out the programming at local museums for DIY workshops and celebrations of local artisans. Artists-in-residence programs forge a special relationship between old masters and a new generation.

  • Contemporary Jewish Museum
  • De Young Museum
  • Legion of Honor
  • Museum of Craft and Folk Art
  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
  • Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

 

December. A Winter Wonderland Without the Winter

Temperatures may be mild, but there’s still ice skaters gliding around city squares and the occasional snow flurry on cue. “The Nutcracker,” considered one of the best in the U.S., and the return of “A Christmas Carol” add a note of the traditional to an events calendar that also includes a Dance-Along Nutcracker, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy and a major collegiate bowl game.

  • California Academy of Sciences
  • Embarcadero Center Building Lighting
  • Great Dickens Christmas Fair (weekends only)
  • Beach Blanket Babylon Seasonal Extravaganza
  • Tree Lighting Ceremonies
  • Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl