Manager’s Messages

San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade on February 15, 2025 will feature a choreographed drone light show for the first time as part of its grand finale. The display will include 500 LED-lit drones flying above the Embarcadero, forming images related to Lunar New Year traditions and the Year of the Snake. The 10-minute show, scheduled to begin around 8:00 p.m. after the fireworks display, will be operated by a team of eight and launched from Pier 32. The drones will soar up to 600 feet and create formations up to 600 feet wide. Organized by Good Works Drone Shows, the display will be visible within a 5-mile radius, allowing views from high-rises and even the Bay Bridge

For more information please follow the link below

https://sf.funcheap.com/2025-chinese-year-fireworks-drone-light-show/

With the Big Game on Sunday, Feb. 9, many Americans will spend the day going big – which may lead to a long Monday.

That’s why on Monday, Feb. 10, your post-game day coffee is on us. Starbucks Rewards® members in the U.S. can stop in for a free tall (12 fl. oz.) hot or iced brewed coffee any time on Starbucks Monday.*

If you’re a Starbucks Rewards member, apply the Starbucks Monday coupon in the Starbucks app prior to placing your order when using the order ahead feature in the app, or let your barista know you’re redeeming your Starbucks Monday coupon when ordering in the store or in the drive-thru.

Not a member? No problem. It’s free to join Starbucks Rewards. sign up by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 9 to get your Starbucks Monday coupon in the app. If you join Starbucks Rewards on Feb. 10, just see your barista in the store to enjoy a coffee on us.

No matter who wins Sunday, we can all win Monday.

On the first Friday of every month, over a dozen North Beach galleries, museums, bars, and restaurants stay open late for a self-guided First Fridays Art Crawl with special events to showcase the ever-growing collections of art and entertainment that diversify North Beach.

First Fridays Art Crawl
North Beach, San Francisco
5 to 9 pm
FREE

For more information, please follow the link below

https://sf.funcheap.com/north-beach-first-fridays-art-crawl-sf-119/

The year of the wood snake is a magical time of wisdom and collective transformation. Come to Chinatown to celebrate the new year in an evening of delicious foods, dancing, music, poetry, healing spaces , alongside an incredible maker and night market to bring in the new year grounded in intention and community.

The Pacific Renaissance Plaza courtyard will be lit up with lanterns on bamboo sticks plus have giant red scrolls hanging. There will be about 25 vendors with traditional lantern festival foods like herbal soups and Chinese desserts, plus here are many chef entrepreneurs showcasing their latest dishes from different immigrant culturals in Oakland including Palestinian/Cuba (falafels, harissa wings and yucaa fries),  Panama (tamales), Mexico (Oaxacan cacao) and more plus vendors focusing on healing arts.

For more information please folllow the links below https://sf.funcheap.com/3rd-annual-oakland-lantern-festival-night-market-2025/

Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. Centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the community it serves.

YBCA is located in the heart of San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood, across the street from SFMOMA and the Moscone Convention Center. The main entrance to our galleries and forum event space is at 701 Mission Street. The main entrance to our theater is 700 Howard Street.

For more information please visit the links below:

https://ybca.org/

https://sf.funcheap.com/free-admission-day-at-yerba-buena-center-for-the-arts-ybca-43/

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s exhilarating Chinatown during one of the community’s most exciting times of the year. The Chinatown Community Street Fair takes place the weekend of the Chinese New Year Parade. At the fair, experience Chinese cultural arts such as Chinese folk dancing, opera, drumming and much more at the entertainment stage on Pacific St. below Grant Ave.

You will find over 120 booths and concessions making this a shopper’s paradise. The SF Chinese Chamber of Commerce has activities and entertainment for all ages. Make sure to get a family photo with the giant puppets, dragon and other memorable artifacts from the Parade!

Attendance at the two-day fair in the past has typically been around 500,000.

2025 Chinese New Year Community Street Fair
– Saturday, February 15, 2025 | 10 am to 4:30 pm
– Sunday, February 16, 2025 | 9 am to 5 pm
Chinatown, San Francisco
FREE

Where is the street fair located?

• Grant Ave – from California to Broadway
• Washington, Jackson and Pacific bwtween Stockton and Kearny

Chinese New Year Parade takes place Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 5:15 to 8 pm – from Market and Second, to Kearny and Jackson with elaborate floats, lion dancers, folk dancers, costumed elementary school groups, marching bands, stilt walkers, Chinese acrobats, and a 288 foot long Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”).

For more information please follow the links below

https://sf.funcheap.com/chinese-year-community-street-fair-chinatown/

https://chineseparade.com/

Join us for a Lunar Celebration on Sunday, February 2 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Participants of all ages can try your hand at traditional calligraphy, origami, and auspicious crafts for all ages! Dance along with festive performances – try your luck at our games of fortune and win a prize. Get into the spirit and welcome the Year of the Snake alongside the San Francisco Bay Area AAPI community! After the event, come visit the SF Botanical Gardens. Admission to the SF Botanical Garden is free for San Francisco residents, those qualifying for the Museums for All program, Gardens members, and Veterans. 

When: Sunday, February 2, 2025 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Where: County Fair Building Auditorium located at  1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Performance Schedule – TBA

Activity Schedule (While Supplies Last) – More TBA!

Ginkgo Zee (entire program) Unleash your inner dragon-master with GinkgoZee’s Dragon Stamps! Join us for a unique “Make Your Own Dragon” activity, where you’ll craft your very own mythical beast using stamps hand-carved by Jennifer Zee herself that represent different parts of the dragon.

SF Bay Area Moms Booth (entire program) Participants of all ages can try your hand at traditional calligraphy, origami, and auspicious crafts for all ages! Try your luck at our games of fortune and win a prize!

San Francisco Botanical Garden Youth Education (entire program) Come create garden lanterns (windsocks) using construction paper and decorate them with plant materials from the garden.

Admission Information 

This event is free to attend. This reservation is not a ticket to admission for the Gardens.  Admission to the SF Botanical Garden is free for San Francisco residents, those qualifying for the Museums for All program, Gardens members, and Veterans. Non San Francisco resident admission on Sundays is typically $20.75

For more information please follow the link below

https://sf.funcheap.com/2025-lunar-new-year-celebration-at-sfs-botanical-garden-gg-park/

https://gggp.org/event/lunar-new-year-celebration/

Join the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation to celebrate the 2025 Hearts in San Francisco that support excellence in patient care and innovation at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

In 2025, 22 artists have been selected to participate in the 2025 Hearts in San Francisco public art project including two Large Heart sculptures, 10 Table Top Heart sculptures, and 10 Mini Heart sculptures.

The latest Hearts in San Francisco Heart Sculptures were unveiled on January 13, 2025 and will be on display at the Ferry Building through February 3, 2025.

Designed by local Bay Area artists, these one-of-a-kind pieces of art will be auctioned off to benefit the Hospital on February 6, 2025, at Hearts in SF 2025.

Hearts in San Francisco sculptures can be spotted throughout the City and beyond. All of the ‘heartworks’ are privately owned and some are in easily discovered locations, such as the lobbies and storefronts of our generous corporate supporters, others are at the homes of private individuals. Out of respect for the privacy of our donors and supporters, we are unable to release a list of private locations for the hearts. But if you look closely around the City, we’re sure you’ll be able to spot a few. The most recognizable heart – Tony Bennett’s America’s Greatest City By the Bay – resides permanently on the corner of Powell and Post Streets in San Francisco’s Union Square. Enjoy!

For more information please visit the link below:

https://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/ferry-bldg-heart-sculptures/

You’re invited to an eclectic and electric evening hosted by Rivian to celebrate the grand opening of the new flagship Rivian Space in Hayes Valley.

The night market will highlight local Hayes Valley artisans, and feature electrifying live music, interactive exhibits, family-friendly lawn games and more. Local eateries will have discounted food and drink. The market will be located on Hayes Street between Octavia and Gough, and expand into the PROXY space, as well as the new Rivian Space on Fell Street.

Hayes Valley Eclectic & Electric Market (SF)
Saturday, January 25, 2025 | 4-9pm
Hayes St. between Octavia and Gough Streets, SF
FREE – RSVP

MARKET ZONES/EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hayes Valley Rivian Showroom Open House [340 Fell St]
  You’re invited to explore the new flagship Rivian Space! Come in and kick the tires while you kick it with new friends.
• Camp Rivian
  Singalongs, storytelling, a wishing forest, crafts and Camp Rivian’s Best (Worst?) Dad Joke Competition at 7:45pm (RSVP with the “Best Dad Joke” ticket type to register to compete–first come, first served on site!).
• The Backyard Party Zone
  Hula hoops, lawn games, bubbles, beats, and more.
• The Marketplace
  Shop small and local for special treasuers including jewelry and vintage clothing. Find awesome records and jam out at the Vinyl Village.
• Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
  Visit participating brick and mortar businesses in Hayes Valley, take a photo of their storefront display, and tag @IntoTheStreetsSF on Facebook to Instagram to enter giveaways.

For more information please follow the link below

https://sf.funcheap.com/onenight-hayes-valley-eclectic-electric-market-powered-rivian/

https://sanfranciscoparksalliance.org/calendar/hayes-valley-eclectic-electric-market/

Golden Gate Park’s gorgeous magnolias are expected to have their peak bloom a little later in February

Thanks to San Francisco Botanical Garden for sharing the news that the first of their beautiful magnolias are blooming.

One of San Francisco’s most breathtaking natural marvels, the annual bloom of more than 200 rare and historic magnolias with trees reaching 80 feet, is typically at its peak from January through March at the SF Botanical Garden.

Velvety silver buds on the often bare branches of these elegant trees, many rare and historic, open into dazzling pink, magenta, and white flowers, filling the wintery garden with dramatic splashes of color and sweetly fragrant scents.

View 2025 Magnificent Magnolias Map for a self-guided highlights walk. View 2025 Magnificent Magnolias programming including Curator Tours, Sketching, Magnolia Moonlight Walk, felt Magnolia Flowers Workshop and more.

For more information please visit the link below:

https://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/sfs-magnolias-first-blooms/