Downtown SF party drives $27.9M in spending, slated to return in 2026

"It may seem like a lifetime ago that the term " doom loop" was on the tip of every San Franciscan's tongue, with breathless proclamations of the decline of San Francisco blanketing the media. Downtown First Thursdays was one of the city's biggest reactions to the doom-saying, an event spearheaded by the Civic Joy Fund and Into the Streets to help drive more foot traffic to the SoMa neighborhood, and generally give residents something to celebrate."

"After two years of revels, Downtown First Thursdays has announced that it'll be keeping the good times rolling for another year. The event is planned to continue through 2026 with funding from the Downtown Development Corp., Ripple co-founder and angel investor Chris Larsen, Bob and Randi Fisher of the Pisces Foundation and Salesforce. Over the course of the first two years, the monthly event taking place on Second Street between Market and Howard Streets has attracted 300,000 attendees, resulting in $27.9 million in spending at neighborhood businesses, according to Downtown First Thursdays."

"In recent months it has expanded to include a stage for country line dancing, plus December marks the first month of its speaker series presented by Big Brains featuring San Francisco historian Gary Kamiya. The scheduled headlining musical talent is DJ Mandy, who achieved TikTok fame while learning to DJ in her UC Berkeley dorm. To add some holiday cheer, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will serve as the opening act."

Downtown First Thursdays will continue through 2026 with funding from the Downtown Development Corp., Chris Larsen, Bob and Randi Fisher of the Pisces Foundation and Salesforce. The event on Second Street between Market and Howard attracted 300,000 attendees in its first two years and generated $27.9 million in neighborhood spending. Programming expanded to include a stage for country line dancing and a Big Brains speaker series featuring Gary Kamiya. Scheduled headliners include DJ Mandy, and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus serves as an opening act. Into the Streets runs with seven full-time staff plus 30–60 day-of staff, supported by creative partners and small businesses.

Read at SFGATE