DOWNTOWN FIRST THURSDAYS RETURNS FOR FULL SEASON FROM JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2026
San Francisco’s favorite street party just got a 2026 encore thanks to support from the Downtown Development Corporation, Founding Funders.
San Francisco, CA - Into The Streets and Civic Joy Fund, with support from San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation (DDC), founding funders Chris Larsen and Bob and Randi Fisher, and Salesforce, are proud to officially announce the renewal of Downtown First Thursdays (DFT) for a 12-month season running from January to December 2026. The free, monthly block party that has attracted more than 300,000 attendees and generated north of $27.9 million in spending downtown since its inception in 2024 will return to Second Street between Market and Howard Streets every first Thursday of the month from 5 to 10 p.m. —kicking off with a special Jan. 1 New Year’s Day Edition.
“Downtown First Thursdays shows exactly how you can help turn the narrative about San Francisco on its head," said Chris Larsen, DDC Board Member and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Ripple. When you bring thousands of people back to the heart of the city, put artists and entrepreneurs at the center, and give small businesses a real shot at thriving, you’re not just throwing a party—you’re revving up an economic engine and building a sense of civic pride. My family and I are proud to support DFT as part of a broader effort to keep our streets vibrant, our merchants busy, and to remind everyone that San Francisco’s story of innovation and resilience still starts in downtown.”
“Bob and I are proud to support events like Downtown First Thursdays. They show how collaboration and creativity can bring energy and ideas to downtown—helping us all to rediscover what’s here and dream together about what comes next, ” said Randi and Bob Fisher, trustees of the Pisces Foundation.
“Downtown First Thursdays is exactly the kind of double-bottom-line investment that DDC was created to support,” said DDC CEO Shola Olatoye. “DFT is not just a great night out: it’s a proven economic catalyst that brings people downtown, supports our small business, and cements San Francisco as a global city for art, culture, and innovation. With flexible capital and committed partners, the DDC is focused on supporting high-impact activations and programs like DFT that make downtown a 24/7 place where people live, work, learn, and play.”
“As the city’s largest private employer, we are grateful to the DDC, Chris Larsen and Bob and Randi Fisher for the energy and impact of Downtown First Thursdays, and we are proud to continue our support," said Salesforce Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Parker Harris.
DFT’s 2026 season is set to bring back all the things attendees love: DJs, drag, live performances, food trucks, retail shopping, fashion, and outdoor dining, with new surprises in store. From the beginning, DFT has leaned into what makes San Francisco special—its diversity, love for cultivating community, and celebration of art and culture as pillars of what make a city truly great.
The first two years of DFT featured line dancing, circus performers, flamenco, mariachis, marching bands, a hundred person orchestra in the streets, pop-up fashion shows, breakdancers, traditional Filipino dances, hands-on art-making stations, Hot Wheels races, lucha libre matches, outdoor karaoke, and more. The 2026 season promises to build on DFT’s brand of “only in San Francisco” moments that have kept visitors and partygoers coming back over and over again.
DFT will continue to bring together some of the city’s most diverse and dynamic cultural producers. Black Joy Parade will join returning creative partners including Another Planet Entertainment, Carnaval SF, Grace Towers, and local drag legend Peaches Christ to bring a dazzling lineup of artists and performers to the streets.
DFT’s 2026 season will kick off with a special New Year’s Day edition on Jan. 1, 2026, in partnership with Jazz Mafia providing a free family-friendly (and hangover-friendly) option for attendees to start the new year with live music on every block, mellow vibes, and an all-ages event.
Feb. 5, 2026 DFT is set to feature a Superbowl LX tie-in with Moscone Center’s Super Bowl Experience.
“San Francisco’s comeback depends on a vibrant, welcoming downtown—and Downtown First Thursdays deliver that every time,” said Mayor Lurie. “Its return for 2026 means more foot traffic for our small businesses, more space for artists and performers, and more opportunities for people to come together and enjoy our city.”
Some of Downtown San Francisco’s biggest neighborhood museums are anticipated to host free gallery hours and programming in conjunction with Downtown First Thursdays in 2026, including SFMOMA (with a First Thursdays program with free admission for Bay Area residents that predates DFT), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Museum of the African Diaspora. Information on specific dates will be made available via www.DFTSF.com.
"The Museum of the African Diaspora is thrilled to expand access to our galleries with new public hours, including Thursday late nights from 12 to 8 p.m. and free admission from 4 to 8 p.m. in partnership with Downtown First Thursdays. With our new exhibitions UNBOUND and Continuum, these extended hours invite the community to experience and explore contemporary art from across the African Diaspora," said Monnetta White, CEO & Executive Director of Museum of African Diaspora.
"Downtown First Thursday is grounded in arts, culture and inclusivity driving positive perceptions about downtown. We view it as an important piece in downtown's recovery, reinvention and evolution as a day and nighttime neighborhood. By bringing together a huge cross section of the community, it supports Yerba Buena's arts and cultural scene, our small businesses and community building among residents and visitors. The overall response to DFT has been very positive and we're excited to see it continue," said Yerba Buena Partnership Executive Director Scott Rowitz.
Beyond the street party, DFT’s ripple effect is expected to grow in 2026, with neighborhood bars hosting happy hours, afterparties, karaoke nights, and more fun indoors to welcome thousands of visitors downtown and keep the party going.
“Downtown First Thursdays has created a much needed monthly energetic boost to Second Street. Not only does it give our brick and mortar locations a monthly revenue boost, it's allowed us to hire multiple additional full-time employees, as well as provide consistent part-time work once a month for an additional dozen employees across our bars,” said Gabriel Freiberg, manager of Natoma Cabana (located on Second Street).
DFT’s 2026 season is made possible with special thanks to Chris Larsen, Bob and Randi Fisher, and Pisces Foundation—founding funders of DFT whose support has made this unprecedented effort to revitalize Downtown San Francisco possible—with additional continued support generously provided by Salesforce.
DFT is presented in partnership with The East Cut Community Benefit District, Yerba Buena Partnership, Natoma Cabana, and 111 Minna Gallery.
In 2024, DFT launched as a joyful call to action against the backdrop of a bleak doom loop narrative about Downtown San Francisco, with the mission to spark a revival of foot traffic, economic activity, and civic pride where it was needed most.
“When we launched DFT, it was a leap of faith—a belief that downtown could be vibrant like never before if we create spaces for people to celebrate each other and the city we love. To see an economic impact of $27.9 million and Downtown First Thursdays renewed for 2026 is proof that all of San Francisco knows how to party with a purpose. Every month of DFT has helped push the city’s resurgence along and we are deeply grateful to all of the funders, partners, artists, producers, and small businesses who took that leap with us to make DFT what it is today,” said Katy Birnbaum, CEO and Founder of Into The Streets.
Since its launch in May of 2024, DFT has spurred a projected $27.9M (and counting) in spending at downtown businesses and with small, locally owned vendors. DFT has brought more than 300,000 attendees to Downtown San Francisco, helping to redefine the neighborhood as a cultural destination and spark a new, beloved San Francisco tradition.
“Downtown First Thursdays creates meaningful social, cultural, and economic impact in The East Cut and across the city and redefines what it means to experience downtown San Francisco. Joy is tangible, local businesses thrive, bars and restaurants are packed, and attendees are actively supporting small arts and food vendors. It’s a celebration that brings us together, and The East Cut Community Benefit District is proud to continue this partnership that’s revolutionizing what it means to live, work, and play in downtown San Francisco,” said The East Cut Executive Director Andrew Robinson.
Over the past two years, DFT has featured and attracted a dazzling lineup of notable special guest performers, including: Rebecca Black, Bob the Drag Queen, Toro y Moi, Snakehips, LaRussell, and Raymix and hosted more than a thousand DJs, musicians and cultural workers to offer free, all-ages programming to the public.
“Downtown First Thursdays has become a place where creativity, community, and visibility intersect—where rhythm meets resistance, and artists, queers, and Bay Area folks gather to celebrate the heartbeat of San Francisco culture. Each first Thursday, we cultivate a queer-centered space that welcomes everyone—a dance floor of joy, music, and movement where people feel seen, celebrated, and connected,” said Grace Towers, local drag artist and producer for DFT’s Discoteca stage.
DFT’s on-site marketplace brings together more than 40 vendors each month—building an economic engine for more than 175 San Francisco and Bay Area small businesses, with a focus on local women-and-minority-owned businesses.
Beyond the numbers, DFT has established itself as a quintessentially San Francisco event, capturing the imagination of attendees and supporters with its eclectic mashup showcasing the best of the city every month, and bringing together diverse crowds of every background in a shared spirit of love and pride for San Francisco, rain or shine.
“What started as a moonshot idea to revitalize a post-pandemic downtown has become a part of San Francisco's cultural fabric. And in a city full of great events, this one feels especially meaningful since it grew out of such a challenging time. Seeing thousands of people dancing in the streets, spending time at local businesses, and rediscovering downtown is a reminder of what’s possible when joy leads the way," said Luke Spray, Executive Director of Civic Joy Fund.
Attendees can stay updated by visiting www.DFTSF.com or following @DFTSanfrancisco on social media.
Media inquiries & interview requests:
Maro Guevara, maro@intothestreetssf.com, [415-226-9289]
[Additional photos and video available upon request]
Downtown First Thursdays food and retail vendors can apply to be part of the event at IntoTheStreetsSF.com/vendors. Applications for the 2026 season are set to launch the week of November 24th.
ABOUT INTO THE STREETS
Into The Streets, founded by San Francisco civic leader and event veteran Katy Birnbaum in 2023, is a woman of color, LGBTQ-owned, San Francisco-based small business dedicated to empowering female, Indigenous, brown, Black, and queer communities, realizing economic liberation and making the city a more just, joyous, and environmentally regenerative place.
For more information, visit IntoTheStreetsSF.com.
ABOUT CIVIC JOY FUND
The Civic Joy Fund has helped re-energize public spaces across San Francisco by bringing art, music, culture, and above all, joy, to our city’s streets. We believe that cities become more resilient, inclusive, and lively when people connect with their environment and with each other. By fostering vibrant street activations, we aim to draw people back to public spaces, stimulate local economies, and contribute to a broader cultural revival.
For more information, visit CivicJoyFund.com.
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The DDC is a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed to revitalize and reimagine downtown San Francisco. Led by a coalition of business, labor, and philanthropic leaders and working in close coordination with the City, the DDC brings together private investment, civic leadership, and cross-sector coordination to create a more vibrant, resilient, and inclusive downtown.
For more information, visit SFDDC.org
