Christmas is officially coming, the goose is getting fat and the tree has been put up and decorated. Now what? Once you’ve done all the food and gift-shopping that you need to, you’ll probably want to go out and have a little festive fun. But what, exactly, are you going to do? Well, wonder no longer because we have this list of the best things to do in SF in December. From enjoying the Holiday lights, to seeing some live comedy, to going on the best food tour in San Francisco, we’ve got the essential scoop on the best activities in the Bay Area for you right here.

Events & Activities in San Francisco This Month

1. VISIT ONE OF OUR AMAZING MUSEUMS (DATES THROUGH DECEMBER)

For several days of the month (and for some special people, on every day of the month) many SF museums are free. We have great museums (partly because of all the rich people that have lived here) – you should make the most of these opportunities.

Exploratorium: free admission for EBT cardholders and San Francisco Medi-Cal or CalFresh recipients. Also free for California public school teachers.

SF Botanical Gardens: free admission second Tuesday of every month.

Japanese Tea Gardens: free Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9-10 am.

De Young Museum: free first Tuesday of every month, also free every Saturday for Bay Area residents.

SFMOMA: free first Thursday of the month for Bay Area residents.

Legion of Honor: free Saturday’s for Bay Area residents and free Tuesday’s for all.

Cable Car Museum: free every day, and one of the most interesting museums in all of San Francisco.

Other museums well worth visiting:

The Walt Disney Family Museum

California Academy of Sciences

Museum of the African Diaspora

2. GO TO THE BALLET (DECEMBER 5-28)

The San Francisco Ballet are presenting Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House in the Civic Center, a really beautiful setting for the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky. The ballet, set at a childrens’ party on Christmas Eve, is perfect for the season and a great way to appreciate this special art form.

Sometimes, a gift isn’t just a gift. It’s a key to a new world. A young heroine. A Nutcracker-turned-prince. The small but mighty army of mice. The beautiful conclusion of a sugar plum celebration. 

San Francisco Ballet

More information here.

Also Moulin Rouge: The Musical is at the Orpheum Theatre throughout December (more information here) and RAIN – A Beatles Christmas Tribute is playing the Golden Gate Theatre, December 23 (more information here).

3. SF: FOOD + HISTORY + ART TOUR (EVERY SUNDAY, AT NOON)

The Mission District is renowned for having some of the best food in San Francisco. We take you on a tour of the best spots in the neighborhood, so you can have authentic local food, such as Salvadorian pupusas, street tacos and Mexican tamales. 

The neighborhood’s Misión San Francisco de Asís is also the birthplace of modern San Francisco. We’ll give you an overview of the city’s history, from the dog days of the Spanish Empire, to being part of Mexico, to the Gold Rush era, through the Great Fire of 1906 and up to today, as the city transforms once again.

The Mission District is arguably the best neighborhood for public murals. We’ll visit the Balmy Alley Mural Project, as well as enjoying amazing street art like the murals painted onto the Women’s Building. It’s also a great way to get a better understanding of this often complicated – and sometimes misunderstood – city. We’re biased, but it really is one of the best things to do in SF in December.

More information here.

4. VISIT A GIANT GINGERBREAD HOUSE (ALL MONTH)

The Fairmont Hotel looks down on SF from the top of its lofty perch on Nob Hill. It’s one of the oldest and most illustrious establishments in the city (which is why we love to visit on the SF in a Day and Half Day SF City Highlights tours).

Every Christmas they build a two-story gingerbread house in the hotel’s beautiful lobby.

Our annual life-sized Gingerbread House is on display from Thanksgiving, through the New Year. With hundreds of bricks of real gingerbread baked by our pastry team and pounds of See’s Candies, our Gingerbread House display brings out the kid in everyone. 

Fairmont San Francisco

More information here.

5. ENJOY THE SAN FRANCISCO FERRY BUILDING (ALL MONTH)

The Ferry Building is one of the city’s most iconic buildings, serving as a hotspot for tourists and locals alike. It’s home to numerous events, pop-ups, a farmers’ market, and a battery of independent businesses that sell their wares on the main concourse inside.

During the month of December there are a ton of events going on, including wine tastings, craft-making for kids, gingerbread house construction and, of course, visits by Santa himself, coming all this way from the North Pole.

Information available here.

6. GO TO A GAME (DATES THROUGH DECEMBER)

It might not seem that going to a sports match might not have much connection to the Festive Season, but maybe you want a break from the usual festive season stuff.

The Golden State Warriors are one of the most successful teams in recent NBA history (they’ve reached the final in six of the last nine years ;-) and Stephen Curry is still turning out for them. It’s the perfect time to go to a game and definitely one of the best things to do in SF in December (they’re even playing December 25!). Tickets available here.

The San Francisco Forty-Niners are playing some football at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, on December 14 and 28. More information here.

7. EXPERIENCE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS (ALL MONTH)

What better activity can there be – in the whole year – than walking around a major city’s shopping district, looking at the Christmas displays and basking in the festive lights. The Financial District and the neighborhood around Union Square is the perfect place to indulge in that happy pastime. Definitely one of the best things to do in SF in December.

The annual Illuminate SF will also be in place around the city, with a series of light art installations in the downtown area bringing illumination and a festive feeling to San Francisco. There are eleven installations at different points along Market Street, stretching from the Embarcadero to Castro, and more than forty in total. More information here.

And that’s not all! There’s even another light show in San Francisco over the holidays: Let’s Glow SF. The displays will be up in the Financial District, and can easily viewed from 5-10 pm on a self-guided tour, December 5-14. More information here.

8. GO TO A STAND-UP COMEDY SHOW (DATES THROUGH DECEMBER)

Cobb’s Comedy Club is a legendary stand-up venue in North Beach. It’s a popular spot for some very well-established stand-ups to do a st, as well as for many up-and-coming Bay Area comedians. More Information here.

There’s also Secret Improv Society and Punchline Comedy Club, both well-established comedy clubs that organize regular events, often with well-known stand-ups.

9. SEE THE INSIDE OF A PAINTED LADY (ALL MONTH)

Most visitors to San Francisco are aware of the Painted Ladies, beautiful Victorian homes built in the 1890’s on Alamo Square. Even if they don’t know the name, they’ve probably seen a photo of them (if you Google ‘San Francisco’ one of the first images will be of the houses with the city in the background).

You can just stand in the park opposite the houses, and take a photo, however an even better idea is to go inside one (and get even more impressive shot for Instagram). Longtime Painted Lady resident George Horsfall owns the blue house and offers daily tours at 4 pm. It’s well worth the $20 ticket price and I can’t recommend the tour enough.

More information here (and don’t forget to tell George we sent you :-).

10. GO ICE-SKATING (ALL MONTH) 

San Francisco normally has a bunch of pop-up ice-skating rinks over the festive season. You don’t have to be Olympic level (no one else will be), it’s a great way to have fun AND get some exercise.

The Union Square Ice Rink is open and it’s one of the loveliest spots in San Francisco to enjoy this winter pastime. More information here.

The Yerba Buena Ice Skating & Bowling Center on Folsom Street is also a good option. More info here.

If you have any feedback on the 10 Best Things to Do in SF in December please email us or reach out on social media, we’d love to hear from you.

– By Damien Blackshaw (Twitter)