In depth · Christmas & New Year
Christmas in San Francisco: Union Square, The Nutcracker and fireworks on the Bay
San Francisco does Christmas with style. Skaters circle the rink in Union Square beneath a towering tree, San Francisco Ballet dances the Nutcracker it first brought to America, and the year ends with fireworks over the Bay by the Ferry Building.
Updated October 2026
Union Square
Union Square is the heart of a San Francisco Christmas. A giant tree rises in the square, the department stores and flagships around it dress their windows, and the holiday ice rink opens in early November and stays until mid-January, with the cable cars clanging past on Powell Street.
Our advice: skate after dark on a weekday, then walk up Nob Hill to see the grand hotel lobbies in their festive best.
The Nutcracker
San Francisco Ballet gave the first full-length performance of The Nutcracker in America on Christmas Eve 1944, and its production remains the city’s favourite December night out, at the War Memorial Opera House in the Civic Center. The run is announced on sfballet.org; book early for the matinées and the week before Christmas.
Hayes Valley & the Civic Center
New Year’s Eve on the Bay
At midnight, fireworks are launched from barges in the Bay off the Ferry Building and Pier 14. The best views are along the Embarcadero south of the Ferry Building, between Mission and Folsom Streets, according to the Downtown San Francisco Partnership; arrive by 11.30pm. For a seat rather than a spot on the waterfront, book a Bay-view restaurant or a dinner cruise well ahead.
Questions and answers
Where can you ice skate in San Francisco at Christmas?
At the holiday ice rink in Union Square, from early November to mid-January.
Was the first Nutcracker in America staged in San Francisco?
Yes. San Francisco Ballet gave the first full-length American performance on Christmas Eve 1944.
Where are the best views of the New Year’s Eve fireworks?
Along the Embarcadero south of the Ferry Building.
Join the conversation
Spent Christmas in San Francisco? Share your favourite rink, show or view.
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Dates are from the organisers’ and official tourism sites, read in October 2026. Where a 2026 date is not yet published we describe the tradition only. Check the official sites before you travel.