Mayor Lurie, SF Public Safety Leaders Outline Preparations to Protect Public Safety During NBA All-Star Weekend, Lunar New Year Festivities

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie and city public safety leaders today kicked off a major weekend of NBA All-Star and Lunar New Year festivities, outlining a wide array of measures in place to keep residents and visitors safe throughout these events. The city expects to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors for events that will spur hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity in the region and help drive the city’s comeback.

For months, city departments and their partners have undertaken coordinated efforts to ensure public safety and clean streets, just like they have successfully during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last month and other large-scale events that San Francisco has hosted, including Super Bowl 50 in 2016, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in 2023, victory parades for the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors, and annual Pride celebrations. This weekend, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), Sheriff’s Office, and Department of Emergency Management (DEM) are fully staffed and in close coordination, sharing intelligence in real time to help residents, visitors, and business owners enjoy the full range of events across the city. Currently, there is no information indicating credible threats to San Francisco.

“Major events play a huge part in reclaiming our place as one of the greatest cities in the world, and we will show off the best of San Francisco this weekend,” said Mayor Lurie. “With hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to our city for the NBA All-Star Game and Lunar New Year festivities, our priority is clear: make sure every single person feels safe and welcome. Thanks to our public safety partners, our first responders, and their months of coordinated preparation, I am confident that we will succeed.”

“I am extremely excited for this weekend when San Francisco will host two spectacular events and shine on the world stage,” said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. “The hard-working members of the SFPD, along with all of our public safety partners, are ready. We’ll be out in force ensuring this is one of the greatest weekends in our city’s history.”

“San Francisco Fire Department has a long history of providing safety services for public assemblies, large and small. Our all-stars, comprised of firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, work closely with our law enforcement and city partners to ensure the safety of the assembled community while continuing our uninterrupted services to San Franciscans,” said SFFD Chief Dean Crispen. “Best of luck to our NBA All-Star teams, and Happy Lunar New Year. ‘Gong Hey Fat Choy!’”

“San Francisco is gearing up for an exciting weekend filled with world-class events, and our deputies will have a visible presence to ensure that whether we celebrate our diversity in the Lunar New Year Parade, highlight the best of the basketball world, or come together as a community in planned or spontaneous events, we are prepared to keep everyone safe,” said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. “Our deputies have canceled days off this holiday weekend to provide extra coverage and patrols around the Chase Center, Moscone Center, and along Market Street. We hope everyone celebrates responsibly this holiday weekend because the last place we want to see you is at the County Jail after-party.”

“I am looking forward to a fantastic weekend as we host both the NBA All-Star Game and Chinese New Year Parade,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “I am confident that the San Francisco Police Department and our law enforcement partners will ensure a safe weekend for our residents and visitors from far and wide. They have my full support and my office’s commitment to doing everything we can to hold those who would seek to engage in criminal behavior during this festive time accountable.”

“This is San Francisco. We know how to host major events. From Super Bowls to APEC, to unplanned events including tsunamis and earthquakes, we are prepared and ready,” said DEM Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll. “Like with all major events in our city, we have activated the Emergency Operations Center to ensure continuity of public safety coordination and resources for events planned and unplanned. I want to thank our hardworking 911 dispatchers and all first responders for their tireless work, especially over the next few days, to ensure the safety of our residents and city.”

Since San Francisco was announced in 2023 as the host city for this year’s NBA All-Star Game, coordinated planning has been underway to welcome visitors, NBA players, celebrities, basketball fans, and media outlets from around the world. The city’s public safety agencies have been working closely with state and federal partners as well as event organizers to ensure safety for everyone attending these events and festivities around them. The city also relies on a long-standing partnership with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to plan one the world’s most cherished parades.

Efforts include coordinating security measures, managing transportation and traffic flow, and supporting festivities and special events around main events.

Emergency Operations Center Activation

The city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated on Wednesday, February 12 to further strengthen coordinated operations and information-sharing among all public safety and critical infrastructure agencies to better serve the city during this weekend. The EOC’s work includes:

• Proactively monitoring all related events and 911 call volume citywide for Emergency Medical Services and law enforcement assets
• Providing support and ensuring a coordinated response in the event of critical incident
• Regular evaluation of weather conditions to provide public guidance and deploy resources as needed
• Ensuring ongoing citywide continuity of operations for emergency services

Increased Law Enforcement Presence

Residents and visitors will notice an increased law enforcement presence around event areas to offer added layers of security and ensure a welcoming atmosphere.

SFPD will be fully staffed and has canceled days off to ensure that enough officers are on hand to keep the city safe. The department is prepared to respond to any emergency in and around the event venues and parade route and across San Francisco, as always.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office has canceled days off and will increase patrols along the Market Street and Powell Street Corridors to ensure safe passage for residents and visitors. Sheriff’s Office deputies will fan out across the city to provide an increased visibility and greater sense of security for all.

Targeted Cleaning and Keeping Neighborhoods Clean

Providing targeted street cleaning services for major events like conferences and community celebrations is an integral part of the Department of Public Works’ (DPW) street cleaning operations. While some crews will be temporarily focused on maintaining cleanliness in the areas surrounding the NBA All-Star event venues and Lunar New Year festivities, DPW will continue routine street cleaning operations throughout the city, including 311 service request responses, proactive illegal dumping runs, and graffiti abatement.

Plan Ahead Before Traveling

Public transit is the best way to travel to any NBA All-Star Weekend event or Lunar New Year festivities. The SFMTA and BART have expanded service options to make it easier to get around San Francisco – including free Muni rides Saturday and Sunday – and the city is strongly encouraging people attending these events to take public transportation.

Several street closures for the NBA All-Star Game will be in effect, largely around the Moscone Center, Chase Center, and Pier 48 areas. Street closures will also be in effect along the Lunar New Year Parade route to accommodate visitors and ensure the safety of all attendees.

Ride-hailing services will also be available throughout this weekend, but high demand and potential pick-up adjustments are likely due to road closures.

For detailed information on specific street closures and Muni service adjustments, visit http://www.sf.gov/allstar2025.

Keeping Everyone Safe

See Something, Say Something

When attending large events, be aware of surroundings and keep valuables close by or out of view within vehicles. If someone sees behavior or activity that is suspicious or out of the ordinary, notify a police officer or event staff member. In an emergency, dial 911.

Reporting Non-Emergencies

To report a non-emergency situation, call 311 and keep 911 lines open for emergencies. The city’s 311 system can help answer questions about accessibility, noise, blocked driveways, parking restrictions, and other non-emergency issues.

Receiving Accurate Information

San Francisco’s emergency notification system, AlertSF, provides emergency updates to subscribers via email, text message or phone call. AlertSF will be used to inform subscribers of significant event-related impacts to city services, such as transit disruptions and emergency public information and alerts. Sign up for NBA All-Star-related emergency information from AlertSF by texting “NBASF2025” to 888-777.