Welcome to Madrone

Free Muni / Caltrain / AC Transit / VTA / SamTrans on New Year’s Eve 2025/2026

In order to ensure those who need a safe ride home New Year’s Eve have one, many Bay Area transit agencies are offering free rides, but not having any extended service.

Confirmed Free Rides for 12/31/25


SF Muni

Confirmed for 12/31/25

Ride Muni for Free on New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 31, 2025, to 5 a.m. Thursday, January 1, 2026.
New Year’s Eve Muni Service
During the complimentary service period from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.:

Please do not tag your Clipper® card. If you tag it, you will be charged.
Please do not activate a MuniMobile ticket. Metro fare gates will be open.

AC Transit

Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:

2024 info: AC Transit continues to support your transit needs, including getting you where you need to go safely on New Year’s Eve. Ride FREE on all buses, including Transbay, from 8 PM on Dec. 31 to 5 AM on Jan. 1.
Buses will operate on Sunday schedules on January 1.

SamTrans

Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:

2024 info: The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) is proud to once again offer free bus rides on New Year’s Eve and during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, Dec. 31) 

  • Buses will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
  • Free service begins at 8 p.m. and continues through 3 a.m. New Year’s Day (Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025)
  • SamTrans buses will run on a Sunday schedule.
  • Fare collection resumes at 3 a.m.

Caltrain

Not yet confirmed for 12/31/25. Here’s what happened in 2024:

2024 info: Caltrain is offering free service on New Year’s Eve so revelers can get home safely at the end of their evening. All rides will be free starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, until the end of special late-night service, as it has in years past.

  • New Year’s Eve – Tuesday, December 31, 2024 – Weekday Schedule
    • FREE Fares after 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Don’t drink and drive.
    • NYE Specials San Francisco to San Jose Diridon – 1 a.m. (or when full), 1:30 a.m. (or when full), 2 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve and Fireworks

Caltrain will be operating regular weekday schedule before the fireworks show begins. In addition to regularly scheduled service, additional southbound trains will depart from San Francisco at

SF City Hall’s Brand New Animated Light Show (Thru Dec. 30)

San Francisco City Hall has debuted a brand new holiday installation: City Hall Winter Lights, a free projection mapping show that turns both the Polk Street and Van Ness Avenue sides of the building into a giant animated storybook.

The month-long display runs nightly through December 30, with shows every 30 minutes from 5:30 PM to midnight. Each sequence lasts about ten minutes and features a synchronized musical soundtrack that you can stream directly on your phone.

The projections cover both façades of City Hall, transforming the dome and columns into moving digital scenes. For the best viewing angles, head to Civic Center Plaza between Polk and Larkin, or stand along the Van Ness Avenue side to see the full scale of the animations.

For more information, please visit the following link

https://sf.funcheap.com/sf-city-halls-brand-new-animated-light-show-thru-dec-30-5/

San Francisco New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Midnight (2025/2026)

Ring in 2026 with San Francisco’s annual fireworks show over the Bay.

The big fireworks show will take place at midnight this year (December 31, 2025) on New Year’s Eve 2025/2026.

Say goodbye to 2025 and ring in the 2026 new year with 200,000 fellow bundled-up San Franciscans for an annual tradition as the city once again hosts a free waterfront midnight fireworks show on New Year’s Eve.

San Francisco New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 | 11:59 pm
Embarcadero from Mission to Folsom
FREE

Arrive by 11:30 pm and head south of the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero for the best view. Fireworks kick off right at the stroke of midnight.

The info below is from past years, but this is what typically happens on SF’s NYE fireworks. We will update this post as soon as we have the confirmed details.

Best SF Fireworks Viewing Location:

The fireworks typically launch from barges located 1,000 feet out in the bay, just south of the Ferry Building near Pier 14 (Mission Street and The Embarcadero), so the best viewing spots will be south of the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero between Mission and Folsom Street.

Please note that standing in front of the Ferry Building will not be a good place to view the fireworks. It’s way too crowded and your view can be blocked by the Ferry Building.

About the Fireworks Show:

Typically, there’s a 15-minute midnight fireworks show. Each year, they unveil a few new and interesting pyrotechnics.

The fireworks are usually synced to music, played out through speakers that are set up along the promenade stretching from Pier 14 down almost to the Bay Bridge. So, although there’s no radio simulcast and no live entertainment, if you’re close to Pier 14, you should be able to hear the music just fine. 

For more information, please visit the following link

https://sf.funcheap.com/san-francisco-new-years-eve-fireworks/

Location

480 Mission Bay Blvd N
San Francisco, CA 94158
phone | (415) 558-1678

Management Team

General Manager
Gina Gorman | ggorman@actionlife.com

Assistant General Manager
Karen Cubas | kcubas@actionlife.com

Management Company

Action Property Management
Regional Office
655 Montgomery Street, Suite 1190
San Francisco, CA 94111
phone | (949) 450-0202