San Francisco open your golden gates, 'cause tourism is BACK! For those of you paying attention, things have been heating up these last few months as our tourism number continues to rise towards pre-pandemic levels. Last year we were at 80% of pre-pandemic tourism levels and this year we’ve been expecting these numbers to get higher now that countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are able to travel easily again and make up such a large portion of San Francisco’s tourism. Check out the latest from the Mayor and SFO:
Tweet from Mayor London Breed on 5/11/23 celebrating rising tourism & travel
SF, a fashion incubator - who us??? SF may not be what, or rather where you think of when you think of fashion, but it’s created its own subset and ecosystem for fashion in good meaning, well-made, locally sourced and made items by designers on the cutting edge of innovation here in San Francisco’s fashion schools and circles. From vegan leather to traditional names like Levi’s denim, San Francisco has it all. Check out what the SF Standard had to say here.
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Chow Fun on May 20! Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout the month of May. Check out the APA Heritage Foundation's celebration guide to expand your bookshelf, find inspiration, and discover events including Chow Fun's 8-day Asian dine-around which ends TOMORROW, Saturday, May 20 with a closing event at the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse (2301 San Jose Avenue). For more information, see the full celebration guide.
San Francisco Plans to Expand Summer Concerts in Golden Gate Park! Read the recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle's Datebook, in which Mayor London Breed unveiled a new plan to bring more summer concerts to Golden Gate Park starting next year. The proposal calls for two or three days of headliner-driven events on the weekend following the annual Outside Lands music festival. Read more here and learn how it would help supplement Rec and Park's services ahead of a two-year budget deficit.
Powell Street investment. With more tourists, workers, and residents coming back downtown, it’s not lost on the city that more needs to be done to fill our store vacancies, attract new big and small businesses (such as through programs like Vacant to Vibrant). Thus, the Mayor announced with Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin on Tuesday that the City will be investing $6 million “to help enliven the beleaguered corridor of Powell Street between Market and Geary—best known by tourists for the city’s famed cable car turnaround.” Read more about this announcement and the story by the SF Standard, here.
We have a new queen in town. On Thursday, Mayor London Breed and State Senator Scott Wiener gathered together with community at the SF LGBT Center to crown the first Drag Laureate in the nation, D’Arcy Drollinger. Drollinger was selected by a group of 15 applicants after the role was announced last year and is the first is the first in the nation to hold such a role. In her announcement, Mayor Breed outlined that Drollinger’s job description is first and foremost to “be fabulous all of the time” as well as serve as the spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community of the city, participate in and produce community drag events, and help share and preserve San Francisco’s drag history. For her 18-month term, the San Francisco Public Library will provide her with a $55,000 stipend. To learn more, read all about it at Yahoo! Entertainment here. BTW, go Giants!
Mission SAFE Streets Ambassador Program coming to the Mission District. As the City continues to focus on creating a new era of clean and safe, the city and Supervisor Hillary Ronen have partnered together to launch a new program in the Mission that will provide street ambassadors across 13 city blocks of the Mission District. These street ambassadors will connect residents with city services, help keep public spaces clear from unpermitted vending, and help in emergency situations as needed by connecting folks to emergency personnel or community organizations like the Street Crisis Response Team. To learn more about this program, check out this coverage by CBS Bay Area.
Music City SF Presents the Fern Alley Music Series. Join Music City San Francisco in association with the Lower Polk CBD, Polk Neighbors, OEWD & The Office of Small Business in support of the Polk Corridor Community. Enjoy live music, craft vendors and local artists at the Fern Alley Music Series.
At the event you can savor local eats from neighboring businesses, while listening to live music and engaging with local art and craft vendors at the Fern Alley Music Series.
This event is FREE and open to the public of all ages (including your pets if you want to bring them) so share with your community! Click here for more details.
Celebrate 150 years of Levi’s with San Francisco this Weekend!
If you don’t already have plans, make sure you check out all the great things Levi’s is doing to celebrate their 150th Anniversary in San Francisco this weekend with their 501 Experience event series.
From workshops to programs, art installations, to concerts and more there is so much to do at this event this weekend. Check out more here and don’t miss out on musicians like Toro Y Moi on Sunday!
That’s all for now. Have a beautiful weekend San Francisco!