News

Good News SF - June 17, 2023

Good Morning SF and Happy Juneteenth Weekend & Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate!
June 17, 2023

It’s been a minute since we last caught up with you all so we are arranging things a bit differently this go around…

First, Let’s talk about what’s happening this weekend and all the events you won’t want to miss this next week!

  1. Juneteenth is here and in case you missed the parade last weekend or the kick off and gala last night, there’s load more fun for the community, with the community to celebrate at this weekend.

    • TODAY, JUNE 17TH community members can visit the freedom celebration which is being held in the Fillmore District from 11 AM to 6 PM on Fillmore Street between Geary Boulevard and Fulton Street. The celebration will feature live music, carnival rides, food vendors, a fashion show and a classic car show. You can learn more about this event by clicking here.

    • TOMORROW, SUNDAY JUNE 18TH, community members can visit the Bayview for Juneteenth Bayview Family Day from 11 AM to 6 PM at Gilman Park. Celebrate Freedom Day and honor fathers with live music, food by local makers, retail vendors, and fun! You can learn more about this event by clicking here.

    • For more info about all things SF Juneteenth, go to: sf.gov/juneteenth

  2. Fleur de Villes kicked off with a ribbon cutting on their seasonal exhibit yesterday at the Mint in Downtown San Francisco, where you can celebrate Pride all month long from June 16 - July 4, with gorgeous floral exhibitions by local florists who have reimagined famous icons of SF Pride.

    From Nancy Pelosi to Ken Jones, you’re sure to recognize a few icons, but also enjoy the beautiful aroma of the wildflowers while you’re at it! Thank you to the Office of Small Business for supporting this creative addition to Pride Month. For more information or tickets click here.

  3. 67 Annual North Beach Festival is happening Today and Tomorrow, June 17-18th 10 am - 6 pm in North Beach this weekend! This year's festival spans 9 blocks and feature over 100 arts and crafts booths, some of the Bay Area's best gourmet food vendors, 3 stages of live music + DJs, beer gardens, Makers Block activities, Italian Street Art, the Blessing of the Animals, performances from Club Fugazi acrobats, and so much more all in the heart of North Beach, nestled amongst its many charming and unique shops and restaurants. The festival is FREE and open to all ages.
  4. Drag me Downtown is a new fan favorite in downtown San Francisco, which serves as a series of fierce pop-up drag shows each Thursday throughout the month of June 2023. Featuring new performers at a new venue each week, this sequin studded series will help support our favorite local businesses while also serving as a fabulous reminder that all are welcome in downtown San Francisco! For more information check it out on downtownsf.org’s website and note that the next one is at One Market Restaurant this Thursday, June 22nd!

  5. Make Music Day is coming back to San Francisco for it’s second year this year on Wednesday, June 21st! Make Music San Francisco is inviting your business, your neighbors, your friends, your community and you to celebrate San Francisco and the Summer Solstice with music from the city that brought you the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Dead Kennedys, Avengers, Flipper, Romeo Void, Santana, Journey, and Metallica.

    Performances will take place from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm across San Francisco in community centers, restaurants, shared spaces, back yards, front steps, libraries, local businesses, and your neighborhood.

    Plan your concert experience by visiting the Make Music San Francisco website for your Music Map checklist, an approved list of participants, performance spaces, and collaborating partners.

Now, let’s talk about some other Good News we’ve been hearing about!

  1. Tourists love San Francisco. It’s true! SF Gate’s reporter Ali Wunderman recently interviewed and surveyed a random array of tourists crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and what do you know, there was no talks of doom loops. Rather instead, the focus of conversation was much more about the chilliness of Karl the Fog, the funkiness that is San Francisco as a random woman passing by broke out into operatic song, and enthusiasm for our local cuisine! Keep it up, SF.

  2. On that tourism note, ICYMI SF Travel recently launched their Always San Francisco tourism ad campaign last month! The “Always San Francisco” ad highlights the city's most iconic sights and sounds, with a minute-long commercial already airing in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Houston, and Chicago, areas SF Travel is hoping to lure both leisure travel and corporat conference travel from as folks decide to make San Francisco their next destination. You can read about the coverage around the announcement from ABC news here or visit the SF Travel site and ad directly here.

  3. Have you heard? San Francisco’s Parks rank among the highest in the country! San Francisco’s park system ranked highest in the Bay Area and 7th in the nation according to Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore index.

    San Francisco ranked seventh nationally based on five factors: park access, park equity, park acreage, park investment, and park amenities. Each category was evaluated on a scale of 100 points.

    You can read more about this by taking a look at some of the coverage by our media friends at Axios, the SF Examiner, and the SF Standard.

What’s good to eat and check out these days??

  1. Hed Very Thai just opened their doors downtown this spring with the help of the Office of Small Business and they’ve got an amaaaaazing mouthwatering menu waiting for you to try!

    Whether you’re shopping nearby in Union Square, or simply looking for a great new spot near work to check out for lunch or dinner, the crispy pork belly and mango pudding is a fan favorite along with their “sets” for different proteins along with their non-traditional thai menu. Check out what Eater SF and The Bold Italic had to say.

Late night dining hasn’t ever really been San Francisco’s thing, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try! Dragon Horse a new SoMa restaurant and bar in the city serves sushi and cocktails until 1 a.m. six days a week. With most restaurants closing around 9 or 10 at the latest, places like Dragon Horse are creating an edge on the nightlife and dining industry as people begin to do more downtown post-Covid. Check out SF Gate’s coverage on them and late night dining here.

Announcements, Announcements! Read all about it!

  1. Women’s World Cup Village! Mayor London N. Breed announced this week that the City will welcome Summer of Soccer to downtown San Francisco, including partnering with Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) to host free public screenings of the Women’s World Cup in July and August.   

    The Women’s World Cup Village kicks off at The Crossing at East Cut on July 21 when Team USA faces off against Vietnam, with an opening celebration, live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities beginning at 4 p.m. The full event series will take place on:  

    • July 21: The Crossing at East Cut (USA v Vietnam)  

    • July 26: Embarcadero Plaza (USA v Netherlands)  

    • August 5: Golden Gate Park (Round of 16)  

    • August 10: The Crossing at East Cut (Quarterfinals)  

  2. Another Planet Entertainment Proposes Free Downtown Concerts! Mayor London N. Breed announced this week that Another Planet Entertainment (APE) has committed to bringing free outdoor concerts to downtown San Francisco’s historic plazas.

    APE would bring a musical act to Civic Center Plaza, Union Square, and Embarcadero Plaza annually for three years starting in 2024. The new downtown concert proposal is included in APE’s permit request before the Board of Supervisors to hold two to three ticketed concerts in Golden Gate Park’s Polo Fields during the same three years on the weekend following Outside Lands in August.  

    While APE produces Outside Lands, the additional summer concerts in the Polo Fields would be separate, smaller, headliner-focused events. They would use a portion of the Outside Lands festival’s infrastructure to minimize impact on the park. The downtown concerts were offered after several supervisors requested APE hold concerts in the eastern part of the City.  For more information about this proposal, please check it out here.