Yes, COVID sucks and most everything is shut down or gone virtual. But there are still a few socially-distant things you can do on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
If you choose to go out, just make sure to mask up, stay socially distant and don’t mix with other groups outside your household.
Thursday, December 24, 2020 – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Ferry Building | The Embarcadero and Ferry Plaza, San Francisco
Satisfy your last-minute holiday needs and warm up with some free hot apple cider Thursday, December 24. You’ll find our regular Thursday farms along with pop-ups like Hog Island Oyster Co., Delightful Foods (pie), Root Down Farm (pastured meat), and more to make for a unique, delicious, and truly local feast.
Thursday, December 24, 2020 Mel’s Drive In (Lombard + Geary)
Outdoor dining might be officially banned, but Mel’s carhop service is technically “delivery” since they bring it to your car so they are allowed to be open. It’s a fun date night as long as you don’t mind your car smelling like patty melts and milkshakes. Mel’s first opened on December 23, 1947 in San Francisco so this week is their 73rd anniversary.
Thursday, December 24, 2020 – 7:30 am to 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE 24th Street BART | 24th Street and Mission, San Francisco, CA
OK, this isn’t “fun” by any stretch. But it is cheap. This free and no appointment necessary testing site has popped up to serve the Latinx community for just two days (December 23-24). This isn’t meant for if you are being frivolous and are traveling or gathering with friends and want to make sure you’re ok. This is for essential workers, the Mission community and if you’re experience symptoms or recently had exposure.
December 24-25 starting at 5:30p Tickets $8.50 for adults / $2 kids
Yes, the Bay’s two drive-in movie theaters – one in Concord and one in San Jose – are still open and showing movies nightly. San Jose is larger and has more screens and is showing a bunch of xmas movies on xmas eve. On Christmas night it’s normal films including Wonder Woman 1984 at both locations.
One of the rare days in SF where parking meters throughout the city are completely free (the other free days are Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day). Plus there’s no street sweeping or residential permit parking tickets. But just remember, tickets can start again at 12:01am on Christmas night. Plus red zones, no stopping, no parking zones are still enforced even in Christmas.
Friday, December 25, 2020 – 7:30 am to 4:00 pm | Cost: FREE San Francisco Botanical Garden | 1199 9th Avenue, San Francisco
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. The gardens (normally $9 for adults) is free for all on Christmas Day.
Friday, December 25, 2020 – 9:30 am | Cost: FREE Safeway Parking Lot (Outer Richmond) | 850 La Playa St., San Francisco
If you want to make a ruckus, this anti-ICE and defund the police protest will be meeting up in the Outer Richmond at 9:30am and then driving out at 10am with noisemakers and horns blazing through some of the richest neighborhoods in SF because “injustice never takes a holiday.”
Take a drive and see some of SF’s and the Bay Area’s most holiday-rific light shows including the Tom & Jerry House in San Francisco, the Entwined lighted forest in Golden Gate Park and Fremont’s “Crippsmas Place” Festive Neighborhood Lights.
Thursday, December 24, 2020 – 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm | Cost: FREE Tripp Distillery | 1121 Palmetto Ave., Pacifica, Ca
Tripp Distillery in Pacifica is giving away free Whisky tastings to go (due to COVID no onsite consumption). Enjoy a walk at the beach and pick up last minute Christmas gifts, great location with hiking trails and fun restaurants.
Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change
Go on a self-guided tour to see all of the amazing light sculptures in 17 neighborhoods by 30+ artists
Get your glow on during this two-month celebration during the longest nights of the year. In past years, the city has hosted nighttime neighborhood walks, artist talks and participatory experiences. Since this is a unique year with special precautions and restrictions, there aren’t scheduled activities. Just map your own route and take a fun self-guided tour with your own household.
2020 Light Art Installations – 45+ different light sculptures (both permanent and temporary) in 17 neighborhoods by 30+ artists.
BART finally completes systemwide conversion. Refunds for paper tickets only for values over $1
BART has successfully transitioned all stations to offer Clipper as the only fare product available for purchase. BART began eliminating the sales of paper tickets in August of 2019 when a 4-station pilot program was launched.
The conversion was accelerated during the pandemic with one or more stations transitioned each week throughout 2020. Systemwide conversion was fully completed the week of December 7th.
Still have paper tickets? You can get a refund for any paper tickets by taking it to a station agent, but only if the remaining value is greater than $1.00.
Touchless Experience
BART is working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Using Clipper helps this effort by allowing riders to avoid direct contact with fare gates, as the card only needs to be held over the fare gate card reader without touching. Riders can further protect themselves from contact with fare machines by loading funds onto their Clipper card online, allowing up to one day for the balance to post. For registered users, the Autoload feature will automatically replenish their Clipper balance.
While paper tickets will no longer be available for purchase at these stations, riders are still be able to use paper tickets to enter or exit through fare gates. Riders are also able to add enough fare to a paper ticket to exit the station using add fare machines located inside the paid area.
SF’s Historic 157-Year Old Cliff House is Closing Permanently
Unfortunately, Cliff House just broke the sad news that they will be closing their doors at the end of the year. Their last day is December 31, 2020.
The closure is only partly due to the pandemic. The Cliff House points blame at the National Park Service for delaying a long term concession contact. The current proprietors have been operating the restaurants for over 47 years, four years before it became part of the National Park System.
Sadly, there won’t be any last meals served at the restaurant. The Cliff House, perched atop Ocean Beach, attempted takeout service for about 10 weeks during the pandemic, but decided it wasn’t viable.
Health officials warn SF may run of ICU bed by December 27 if we don’t slow the spread
If the Covid-19 numbers continue to escalate at the current rate, the ICU capacity will be maxed out by December 27.
As of December 10, there were 123 Covid-19 patients across San Francisco, with 30 of those in the ICU. Unfortunately, San Francisco is encountering its highest surge to date with numbers climbing higher and higher due to the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
SF is averaging 140 new cases per day vs October saw only 34 cases. The recent surge is happening statewide; California’s hospital beds are already at 75% capacity. If the trend continues, not only will we be out of hospital beds, but there also won’t be enough doctors and nurses to care for the patients, nor anywhere to transfer patients.
The situation is dire, so we must slow the spread and continue to Stay-At-Home, wear masks, and keep your distance.
Lift your spirits with dazzling lights as The Bay Area shines for the holidays!
Winter is coming. The holidays are just around the corner and we all could use a little extra holiday cheer tolift our spirits and start looking forward to the new year (and the end of 2020).
While big tree lighting events and holiday festivals are mostly cancelled for this year or have gone virtual, you can still find plenty of twinkling holiday lights around The Bay to help you get into the holiday spirit.
Nov. 18 – Dec. 31, 2020 Westfield Centre, 865 Market St., Level 4 Under the Dome, SF FREE
San Francisco’s famous Inverted Christmas Tree, the 50-foot chandelier-like tree, covered in crystals, is back for the holidays under the iconic Emporium Dome.
Winter Wonderland Holiday Market: Friday, November 27, 2020 | 12 – 6 pm Christmas Tree Stroll: November 27 through the holiday season Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco FREE
New for 2020 – Pickup some gifts at the festive holiday market, and then take a self-guided Christmas Tree Stroll to see beautiful trees decorated by the talented students at the Academy of Art, up throughout the holiday season. *Please note, we haven’t confirmed if they’ll be lit, but what kind of Christmas tree doesn’t have lights? The square will also be decked out in holiday lights, starting on 11/27.
New for 2020 – The iconic 19-foot-tall, 152-foot-wide “Ghirardelli Square” sign recently returned to the square after a refresh with newly installed LED lighting that will allow for special colors whenever needed for the holidays or for special events or honors. We hope this means the sign will illuminate red and green for Christmas, and blue and white for Hanukkah.
December 10, 2020 to February 28, 2021 | Sundown to 10pm Possible extension to June 1, 2021 Peacock Meadow (between McLaren Lodge & Conservatory of Flowers) Golden Gate Park, San Francisco FREE
New for 2020 – A whimsical wonderland of 20-foot tall lighted trees will shine to honor the park’s 150th anniversary. It’s an immersive light experience where visitors can explore paths and sit under a grove of entwined sculptural trees while practicing social distancing.
Week of December 6-12, 2020 – January 31, 2021 The Exchange on Sixteenth (SoMA) 1800 Owens St., San Francisco, CA FREE
New for 2020 – The Kilroy Star’s 30,000 sparkling LED lights will illuminate the SF skyline and can be seen from miles away. The dazzling lights will configured to oscillate in various rhythms and patterns.
The Mission Bay Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure is holding a virtual Mission Bay Citizens’ Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 5:00 pm. Please find below, the instructions for attending the virtual meeting, the agenda items on page 2, and a land use map for reference on page 3. The highlighted portions of page 1 include links to access the meeting.
