Special Events - San Francisco Luxury Hotels

Chinese New Year Community Street Fair
February 11 - February 12, 2012

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of San Francisco's exhilarating Chinatown and celebrate the year of the dragon! There will be acrobatics, kite making, dance and music from throughout Asia, and modern Chinese arts.

Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade
February 11, 2012

Named one of the top ten Parades in the world by the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the grandest night illuminated Parades in the country. Started in the 1860's the Parade and Festival has grown to the largest celebration in Asian culture outside of Asia! Highlights include elaborate floats, lion dancers, folk dancers, costumed elementary school groups, marching bands, stilt walkers, Chinese acrobats, and a 250 foot long Golden Dragon (Gum Lung.)

161st Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival
March 17, 2012

The 161st Annual St. Patrick's Day Festival will be held at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco. The colorful festivities surrounding the parade and festival will showcase Irish Culture through live performance and entertainment, arts and crafts exhibitors, food and beverage concessions, children's rides and inflatables, cultural displays, a petting zoo and pony ride and a number of non-profits booths representing the Irish community.

55th San Francisco International Film Festival
April 19 - May 3, 2012

The San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. This year will feature over 150 films and live events with more than 100 filmmakers in attendance and nearly two dozen awards presented for cinematic excellence. The Festival attracts an annual audience of more than 80,000.

Bay to Breakers
May 20, 2012

Bay to Breakers started as a way to lift the city's spirits after the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it is the longest consecutively run footrace in the world. Festive traditions include runners dressed in costume attire and the tortilla toss, during which runners throw tortillas at one another to pass the time!

The 42nd Annual San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade
June 23 - June 24, 2012

The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parade is the world's largest gay pride event. It's an annual two-day festival that travels along Market Street and features live entertainment, guest speakers and 300 booths selling merchandise. The festival booths peddle arts and crafts, food, sex toys, t-shirts, and educational information. 500,000 people attend this late June event, much of which takes place in Civic Center Plaza near City Hall.

San Francisco Marathon
June 29, 2012

The San Francisco Marathon was created to be a crown jewel for the city. The desire was to create one of the most beautiful and challenging urban road race marathons in the United States offering an idyllic summer running event. The San Francisco Marathon is a loop course. The race starts and finishes on the Embarcadero (near the Ferry Building), traversing San Francisco. The Full Marathon runs through Fishermans Wharf, the Marina, across the Golden Gate Bridge (and back!), through the Presidio and into Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco Waterfront Festival
July 4, 2012

The San Francisco Waterfront Festival is an annual San Francisco Independence Day party that unfailingly delivers brilliant fireworks over the Bay, live entertainment, food, arts, and crafts.

6th Annual Alcatraz Touch and Go
August 11, 2012

An event for experienced open water swimmers, this round trip Alcatraz swim will begin on the beach of Aquatic Park in San Francisco. The competitors will swim to Alcatraz Island, touch the turn-around point, and continue back to Aquatic Park. There will be a boat with a race official on it that will mark the spot near the island.

17th Annual Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival
September 8 - September 9, 2012

Ghirardelli Square will host the 17th Annual Chocolate Festival attracting about 40,000 visitors from the Bay Area and around the world. This family-friendly event features prominent local chefs creating chocolate inventions during cooking demonstrations, live musical entertainment, childrens activities, and the popular Earthquake Ice Cream Sundae Eating Contest. Over 30 different booths from local restaurants, bakeries and chocolate companies will provide dessert samples during the two-day event.