Downtown SF Foot Traffic Spikes During Major Weekend of Celebrations
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Downtown San Francisco anchors the city’s diverse economy, with its skyline shaped by landmarks like the Transamerica Pyramid, Salesforce Tower, and the Ferry Building, serving as an iconic backdrop for cultural events.
This vibrant setting hosts both new and long-standing celebrations every year, and the past week was no exception. The Chinese New Year Parade and Festival, a tradition over 160 years old, honored the deep roots of the Chinese community, which has been an integral part of San Francisco since the Gold Rush. San Francisco’s Chinatown, the oldest in the U.S, has nurtured this annual Lunar New Year parade, now the largest outside of Asia.
In addition to the Chinese New Year festivities, San Francisco welcomed the NBA All-Star Game and its associated events at the Chase Center (February 14-16, 2025). Fans from around the world flocked to The City for both formal and informal celebrations, filling sneaker stores, attending Moscone Center activations, and exploring pop-up events across The City. As attendees mingled, we saw the natural intersection of different groups downtown, taking advantage of the Financial District’s robust transit network and diverse array of restaurants and bars to travel, relax, and recharge before heading to their next event.
Measuring the Impact
Major events don’t just bring excitement, they drive real economic activity. The Downtown SF Partnership uses foot traffic data from Placer.ai to track visitor trends, gauge downtown’s economic revitalization, and better understand how events shape The City’s recovery.
Here’s what we know:
- 293,000+ visits to downtown SF over the weekend (February 14-16), a 48% increase from the previous weekend (February 7-9).
- 38% higher foot traffic compared to the same weekend (second weekend in February) in 2024, making this the busiest weekend Downtown has seen since mid-October 2024.
- 12.3% of non-resident, non-employee visitors came from outside California, giving a major boost to airlines, hotels, and tourism (up from 9% the weekend prior).
- To learn more about foot traffic trends, visit our interactive Visitor Activity Report
The Future of Downtown SF’s Event-Driven Revitalization
When the streets come alive, businesses thrive– downtown’s signature events inject money directly into The City’s economy. Looking ahead to 2026, Downtown SF is set to welcome the Chinese New Year Parade as a long-standing tradition, alongside major global events like the Super Bowl (hosted by the 49ers) and the FIFA World Cup at Levi’s Stadium.
Downtown San Francisco thrives as a District built for unforgettable moments, with events like these continuing to enrich its storied backdrop.
Written by Hannah Kiburz, Economic Development Analyst
Banner Image Courtesy of Knight Lights Photography, ChineseParade.Com