San Francisco has for half a century been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ movement. The Golden City continues to spearhead the LGBTQ+ movement in the US, following the recent appointment of Honey Mahogany as the new Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives. In celebration of Pride Month, San Francisco has a comprehensive lineup of standout events and performances across the city: San Francisco Travel Association's top picks for upcoming Pride events include: San Francisco Pride Parade - 30 June In 1972, San Francisco hosted its first official Pride parade, of a few hundred courageous marchers parading through Folk Street. For San Francisco's 54th annual Pride celebration, under the banner of "Beacon of Love," the city's Pride parade will attract tens of thousands of spectators lining the streets along Market Street toward City Hall, where a massive gathering of vendors and performers will encircle the plaza. Ginger's Grand Re-opening: Gay bar Ginger's, in the Financial District, has a grand reopening after a four-year hiatus on Friday June 28, just in time for Pride Weekend. The reopening celebration will feature a blessing from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and a star-studded party hosted by drag performers. Drunk Drag Productions: Drunk Drag Dizney on Broadway: Drunk Drag Productions will return to SF Oasis with "Drunk Drag Dizney on Broadway," a musical parody, running from July 11-27. Known for its original shows and charity events, Drunk Drag Productions was instrumental in supporting the nightlife community during the pandemic. After a five-year break, the group promises a spectacular blend of drag and musical theater. 

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NEW HOTELS: Five hotels are launching this fall in San Francisco. Set to debut Nov. 15 on the edge of the city's historic Jackson Square neighborhood is The Jay. The 360-room property’s third floor features a garden terrace and will house a dining and cocktail outlet by famed San Francisco-based Omakase Restaurant Group. Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group, LLC announced it would open four rebranded properties this fall. The first to open was Hotel Fiona, formerly The Carriage Inn. Located in SoMa, the historic boutique property features renovated guestrooms and an updated arrival lobby. The 107-room Hotel Julian San Francisco, 152-room SoMa House, and 121-room Hotel Garrett are also slated to open in Q4.   AL FRESCO ART: The Asian Art Museum debuted its 7,500-square-foot East West Bank Art Terrace last month. Boasting city views, the terrace is San Francisco's newest and most expansive outdoor platform for contemporary art installations by local and global Asian and Asian American artists.   URBAN ENERGY: Two historic alleyways sitting at the crossroads of the Transamerica Pyramid, Embarcadero Center, Chinatown and the Financial District have been transformed into the Landing at Leidesdorff. The new pedestrian-oriented space offers outdoor dining and cocktails, live music, and cultural programs. The Landing at Leidesdorff showcases a pair of new murals honoring the rich history of Captain William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., a founding father of San Francisco. He was one of the most prominent Black and biracial citizens of early California. His successful business ventures made him one of the first Black millionaires in America. A flurry of pop-ups has landed in nine downtown properties. The first series features 17 local activators, including apparel brands, restaurants, designers, artists, and other makers. Among those who debuted their three-month pop-ups are local favorites such as Devil's Teeth Bakery and Wack Donuts, both at Embarcadero Center. More pop-ups are slated to open in 2024. The Exploratorium's acclaimed public project, Middle Ground: Reconsidering Ourselves and Others, landed last month in the heart of San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza. The free exhibition invites passersby of all ages to learn more about themselves and how they relate to the people around them. The expanded Middle Ground includes 15 architectural-scale, interactive, and multimedia exhibits about topics such as stereotypes and biases, social influence, prosocial behavior, and social polarization. Visitors can interact with the exhibition's bright yellow activity towers through March 24.   ON THE GRAPEVINE : Big Bus launched Wine Country Tours from San Francisco, offering six- or nine-hour tours for those wanting to explore the wine regions of Napa and Sonoma Valley. Tickets should be reserved 24 hours in advance.   ORIGAMI IN THE SKY: Paper Tree – The Origami Store recently partnered with Adobe to create a free cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) origami tour. Launched in September, visitors scan a QR code at Paper Tree to begin an immersive origami adventure on their smartphones. As they stroll along Japantown's Buchanan Street, colorful red and white envelopes appear to “float in the air.” The user's proximity triggers an envelope to open, revealing a larger-than-life origami diorama. Using their smartphone, visitors can walk around the origami figures and inspect them from all angles to see the intricate folds made to create each piece.   SF EVENTS: Off The Grid is back at Fort Mason through October 27. Celebrating the diversity of San Francisco's food scene, Off The Grid boasts a lineup of Friday night food trucks, pop-ups, and entertainment. The year's biggest movie is coming to the biggest screen in California on October 27. In collaboration with Warner Bros. & Mattel, Giants Enterprises is hosting the ultimate “Barbie” movie night at Oracle Park. Guests can picnic on the field or sit in the stands to watch the movie. Bringing more sparkle to San Francisco is D'Arcy Drollinger, San Francisco's, and the nation's, first Drag Laureate. Drollinger along with the Civic Joy Fund, Honey Mahogany, Juanita MORE! and Oasis Arts are organizing a takeover of city streets by drag performers. Taking place December 2 and 3, San Francisco is a Drag will feature 100 “Kings and Queens” performing throughout the city. Dia de Los Meurtos (Day of the Day) activities on November 2 include the 31st Annual Festival of Altars and the Ritual Poetry Circle in Potrero Del Sol Park and the 42nd Annual Day of the Dead Ritual Procession in the Mission District. The procession, produced by El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural, starts at 6pm at 22nd and Bryant Streets. The Park Market at Crane Cove brings local makers, live music, food and drink vendors, and family-friendly activities to one of the city's newer parks. The final two markets of 2023 take place on October 28 and November 19. The Trick or Treat Market on October 28 will include Halloween activities and crafts. The series ends on November 19 with a Holiday Mercantile. Dirty Habit, the restaurant and bar located on the 5th floor of Hotel Zelos, has partnered with the SF LGBT Center's Cultural Department to launch a new monthly music series that promotes and supports BIPOC artists from an array of musical backgrounds. The new “Vibin' Live” music series features live performances at Dirty Habit every third Thursday of the month. BUCKET LIST: Alcatraz, which celebrates its 50th anniversary as a National Park site in October, is ranked one of the world's 20 best bucket list destinations based on a study by travel company Kuoni. The notorious 22-acre island was a fort, a military prison, and a maximum-security federal penitentiary for 29 years, when it housed notorious inmates such as Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.   ARTS & CULTURE ON POINT: San Francisco Ballet's 2024 Repertory Season, which runs from Jan. 25 to May 5, is filled with premieres, company firsts, and works rarely seen in the US. Curated by Tamara Rojo, the first woman to lead the company and SF Ballet's first new Artistic Director in nearly four decades, the season centers cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaborations, celebrates the artists and histories of San Francisco, and spotlights women's voices on stage and off. Programs include a cutting-edge commission led by music producer/DJ and composer Floating Points; world premiere commissions from female choreographers Aszure Barton and Arielle Smith, and more. VIRAL LOVE: Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's dazzling psychedelic art installations are on view for the first time in the Bay Area at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). With an extended run through September 7, 2024, Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Love features two of the acclaimed artist's Infinity Mirror Rooms. MONSTER MASH: The Asian Art Museum's newest exhibition, Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People — Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego, showcases more than 75 works — including a dozen never-before-exhibited ones — and delivers Murakami's signature combination of fun, spectacle, and playful social commentary in his first-ever solo exhibition in the Bay Area. On view through February 12, Murakami uses monsters as a lens to examine human behavior. ZEN-ULTIMATE: This season, the Asian Art Museum will reveal two rarely seen, precious and celebrated artworks that have never previously left Japan. The Heart of Zen exhibit features Six Persimmons and Chestnuts — centuries-old ink paintings originating from China. The paintings, treasures of the Daitokuji Ryokoin Zen temple in Kyoto, have remained out of sight for all but a few monks and select special visitors. Six Persimmons and Chestnuts will be exhibited separately for three weeks (Nov. 17 to Nov. 10) and (Dec. 8 to 31), respectively, and together for one week (Dec. 8 to Dec. 10). RARE WORKS: Reuniting rare works from across the US and Europe, Botticelli Drawings —presented exclusively at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's Legion of Honor from Novembe 19 to February 11 — is the first exhibition to explore the central role that drawing played in Botticelli's art and workshop practice. The exhibition unveils five newly attributed drawings alongside more than 60 works from 39 lending institutions. Botticelli Drawings features 27 drawings by the artist. POP GOES THE SYMPHONY: Esa-Pekka Salonen's fourth season as Music Director at the San Francisco Symphony includes 12 Orchestral programs, four world premiere performances, SoundBox, continued partnerships with Peter Sellars and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and a celebration of the spirit of California. During its impressive 2023/2024 SF Symphony Season, SF Symphony is also partnering with several famous musical artists, including Ellie Goulding (November 20) and Sting (February 14 and 15). AI EXAMINED: Thrive City, the 11-acre plaza surrounding Chase Center, unveiled the family-friendly Misalignment Museum, a pop-up installation that showcases the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) technology through thought-provoking art pieces.. WHAT ENDURES: The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF) debuted the largest solo museum exhibition of artist Patrick Martinez. On view through January 7, Ghost Land features a major public art piece and large-scale sculptural installation. The exhibition highlights Martinez's “landscape” paintings—works that evoke the topography of personal, civic, and cultural loss, and includes a wall installation of his popular neon works. Also on view is Out of Place from Oakland-based painter Rupy C. Tut.. MORE DRAMA: SF Broadway, part of the Ambassador Theatre Group, has a busy fall and winter season scheduled. Upcoming shows include DISNEY'S THE LION KING (Nov. 22 through Dec. 30), MAMMA MIA! (Dec. 5 through Dec. 10), Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (Dec.12 through Dec. 17), The Wiz (Jan. 16 through Feb. 11), and PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes United” (March 9 through 10). THE SAN FRANCISCO SOUND: Retroblakesberg: The Music Never Stopped offers a captivating visual narrative through photographs by Bay Area-based photographer Jay Blakesberg of legendary musicians, shedding light on the evolution of San Francisco's distinctive music culture and its far-reaching impact. The exhibition at the Contemporary Jewish Museum unites over 200 photographs and related memorabilia, all captured between 1978 and 2008. Icons such as the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Neil Young, Soundgarden, and more are on view through January 28. RETROSPECTIVE: For its 30 Year Anniversary, 111 Minna Gallery features the works of 40 artists and curators who have worked with 111 Minna Gallery since its inception. Curated by co-owner David Scott Mabry, the exhibition features works by Sacha Eckes, Irene Hernandez-Feiks, Jay Howell, Micah LeBrun, Ron Turner and D Young V, among others. BOUNDARY DEFYING: SFMOMA will unveil Wolfgang Tillmans: To Look Without Fear on November 11. Curated by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the exhibit is the most comprehensive of the artist's work to date. It encompasses Tillmans' iconic pieces in photography, video, and multimedia installations. On view through March 3. LOCAL LEGEND: 84-year-old contemporary painter and installation artist Joe Sam's works are on display at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) through March 3. His first solo exhibition in San Francisco, Joe Sam.: Text Messages, showcases 20 mixed media paintings from key series produced between 1985 and 2020. “A GIANT LOVE LETTER”: The only one of its kind at a major US museum, the groundbreaking The de Young Open triennial community art exhibition features 883 works by artists residing in the Bay Area. The second edition of this free “salon style” exhibition spans nine mediums and explores the issues shaping life in the Bay Area and beyond. The 883 works were selected by a jury from 7,766 applications and are on view through January 7. SECOND CENTURY: For its 101st season, San Francisco Opera explores new stories, contemporary voices, and classic works. The 2023/2024 season includes premieres of three co-commissioned operas. OMAR, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner for Music by Grammy Award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens and composer Michael Abels. From June 1 to 21, the Opera House will also host the American premiere of  INNOCENCE, the final opera by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho with libretto by Sofi Oksanen. CATS & DOGS: Disney Cats & Dogs is on view at The Walt Disney Family Museum through June 2. The exhibit features over 300 archival reproduction concept sketches, paintings, model sheets, animation drawings, posters, photographs, digital artworks, and final film sequences.

Some of the top San Francisco hotels and restaurants are celebrating the milestone 150th anniversary of the legendary cable cars. They have teamed up with San Francisco Travel and Market Street Railway to commemorate the anniversary, with various celebratory offers. They include Scoma’s, The Westin St. Francis, Buena Vista, and the Tonga Room. Special San Francisco hotel and restaurant deals are available from 2 August through 31 October 2023. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and non-profit partner, Market Street Railway, have joined with a number of organizations to create the 'Cable Car Crawl'. To take part in the ‘Cable Car Crawl’, visitors take to social media to post photos of themselves while visiting participating partners and when riding the cable car. Visitors can also engage with the locations, tagging them in posts and using the hashtags #SFCableCarCrawl and #AlwaysSF. Various commemorative 150th-anniversary drink specials are offered: One complimentary world-famous Irish coffee when patrons show their Instagram post using #SFCableCar and their cable car ticket The relaunch of the famed “Cable Car” cocktail at the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar (Cable Car cocktail also available in the hotel’s Laurel Court Bar) Scoma’s drink special: “SF Cable Car Crawl” Cocktail Cable Car Anniversary special cocktail at the Westin St. Francis’ Clock Bar Promotion dates: 2nd August – 31st October, 2023   Reservations may be required for some businesses. The all-day, all-Muni pass for $13 allows riders to hop on and off cable cars at their leisure. Until the end of 2023, a special $5 all-day pass enables riders to hop on and hop off the California cable car line as well.   For information: www.sftravel.com

San Francisco is welcoming back Super Bowl in 2026. It returns to the bay Area thanks to the successful bid in partnership with the San Francisco 49ers, the County of San Francisco and the San Francisco Travel Association. Hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be generated for the region. The Bay Area last hosted Super Bowl in 2016. Super Bowl LX marks the latest sporting win. The San Francisco Bay Area will serve as a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and will also welcome the 2028 PGA Championship and the 2033 Ryder Cup. Other premier sporting events in the city have included the 2013 America’s Cup, the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and the 2020 PGA Championship. “Tourism is an essential part of the Bay Area’s economy,” said Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee. “The Committee is proud of its partnership with the San Francisco Travel Association in bringing the Super Bowl back to the Bay.” San Francisco Travel Association President and CEO Joe D’Alessandro added, “We could not be more excited to welcome back Super Bowl.” “This is a huge win for our region and our economy.” In 2016, Super Bowl 50 generated nearly $250 million in economic impact and drew more than one million fans to the area. The San Francisco Travel Association, with Discover Santa Clara, Visit San Jose, and the San Francisco Peninsula, has secured over 20,000 hotel room night commitments from properties across the region. In addition, the San Francisco Travel Association worked closely with the Bay Area Host Committee leadership to secure special event venues that will host programming, including fan activations at Moscone Center.

To mark the arrival of Mrs. Doubtfire: The New Comedy Musical to London’s West End, San Francisco tourism is showcasing the original film’s iconic locations. It is inviting visitors to retrace the steps of Mrs. Doubtfire and the Hillard family with things to do and see in the film’s locations across San Francisco.   The Hillard Family Home  in Pacific Heights First appearing and showcased in what may be every parent’s worst nightmare of a birthday party (a chaotic scene of children, farm animals, noise, and a lot of mess), is the Hillard family’s home in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood. The house highlights the timeless Victorian architecture throughout this area, surrounded by breath-taking views of the city.   What to do and see near Pacific Heights Nearby in the Marina District, the Palace of Fine Arts is an eye-catching Greco-Roman style rotunda and ‘majestic’ colonnades built over a century ago. Walk from there to the converted military base which is now the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture and home to California’s largest weekly food truck night market, ‘Off the Grid’.   Cycle like Mrs. Doubtfire across Crissy Field in the Presidio of San Francisco  In addition to housekeeping, Mrs. Doubtfire had heaps of fun with the Hillard children. Mrs. Doubtfire takes the kids on a cycling trip with the perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. This famous location, known as Crissy Field, is in the Presidio and remains a popular spot for visitors to take in some of the most impressive views of the city. With Unlimited Biking or Blazing Saddles, fans can partake in bike and e-bike tours.   Other things to do in the Presidio  The Presidio is an unique part of San Francisco, covering a 2.8 square mile former military base which is now part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area. As well as Crissy Field, its many stunning viewpoints include the ‘Golden Gate overlook’ and the ‘National Cemetery overlook’ which holds a commanding view over the 28-acre military cemetery. Other attractions include the Walt Disney Family Museum, Baker Beach (the birthplace of the Burning Man festival), and San Francisco’s newest park, Presidio Tunnel Tops. Presidio Tunnel Tops While not in existence when Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed, the Presidio Tunnel Tops are certainly an attraction worthy of the film. Over 14 acres of parkland, the park has expansive picnic areas fitted with tables and grills, great views, and other activities. The park connects the Main Lawn of the Presidio to the familiar Crissy Field. Kids can enjoy ‘The Outpost’ - a play area with structures made from fallen trees, boulders, and other natural materials. The Tunnel Tops host the ‘Presidio Pop Up Series’ with multiple street vendors offering foods from around the world.   Feel the wind in your face like Mrs. Doubtfire on a Cable Car Remember Mrs. Doubtfire leaning from the side of one of San Francisco’s fabulous cable cars? Visitors and film fans can do the same riding the Powell Hyde Cable Car, while also exploring the city. Stops along the way include great shopping opportunities at Macy’s, Chinatown, San Francisco’s famously crooked Lombard Street, and the renowned Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience, nicely rounded-off with the Cable Car Museum.   Check out where Mr. Hillard and ‘his sister’ lived in North Beach Many of the scenes filmed around the city, including the apartment where Daniel Hillard and ‘his sister’ (Mrs. Doubtfire) move to, are in North Beach. Among many things, this lesser-known neighbourhood has a particularly vibrant Italian American community, which following many generations, has fostered a wealth of restaurants and cafés in the area known as ‘Little Italy’.   Other things to do and see in North Beach As well as a thriving food scene, North Beach’s sites include lines of quaint wooden houses along its ‘Telegraph Hill’ - a hill which is topped by another San Francisco landmark, the mural-decorated (on the inside) Coit Tower. Keen shoppers may enjoy venturing to Grant Avenue for a multitude of one-of-a-kind shops, also a stone’s throw away from the music club scene on Broadway. The neighbourhood is home to the notoriously zig-zagging Lombard Street as well as one of the city’s many wonderful permanent art installations, ‘Language of the Birds’.   For more information go to www.sftravel.com

  San Francisco’s hotel scene is gearing up for summer 2022 with the opening of four new properties with three highly-anticipated hotels launching this month: Sustainable and pet-friendly 1 Hotel San Francisco, modern and vibrant LUMA Hotel San Francisco and the historic Beacon Grand (formerly the Sir Francis Drake Hotel). Boutique design-led hotel, The Line SF, is also slated to open in late summer.   In addition, The Hilton’s iconic, 1,024-room Parc 55 complex resumed operations last month,  paying testament to the city’s resilience over the last two years and the dedication of the Hilton employees and guests. This follows a trend of tremendous investment in the last few years, in new hotels such as citizenM, Kimpton Alton Hotel and Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA as well as millions spent on renovations at iconic properties such as The St. Regis and The Clift.   This investment in new hotels and property renovations is perfectly timed to meet the city’s steady increase in demand and occupancy heading into summer. April 2022 was reported as the best-performing month for San Francisco hotels since before the pandemic, and this is only expected to see further growth. Preliminary data reveal occupancy of available rooms in San Francisco reached 67.2% for the month of April and average daily room rates were £181.60. Both are high-water marks since pandemic restrictions were put in place in March 2020.   Hotel demand in San Francisco was up 118% in Q1 2022, and hotel room revenues grew 263% compared to 2021. While demand was still down 48% compared to 2019, the second quarter of this year will be San Francisco’s most active conference period, resulting in estimated direct spending of $117.2 million.   The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) also anticipates a busy summer travel season, forecasting the highest levels of passenger traffic since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the summer travel season on the 27 May, there are approximately 120,000 forecasted passengers travelling through SFO.   By the end of 2022, seven new branded and independent hotels will have debuted in San Francisco.