San Francisco's holiday spirit is in full swing with the return of the Winter Walk street festival near Union Square. A stretch of Stockton Street has been transformed into a pedestrian-only promenade, complete with food trucks, a holiday shopping market, and live music to entertain the masses.
The festival, which first started in 2018, experienced a hiatus during the pandemic but has since resumed. According to NBC Bay Area, it "really took off like wildfire," according to Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez. She attributes its success to a resurgence of community spirit, saying that "people are truly leaning in" to support the downtown area. Festivities will take place through Dec. 24, catering to both early birds and night owls.
Mayor Daniel Lurie addressed the safety of the city during the events, reassuring attendees and encouraging them to enjoy the festivities downtown. "This city is safe," he declared, per NBC Bay Area. Echoing this sentiment, visitor Carol Shoemaker told KTVU, "It got pretty bleak here for a while. Not really scary, but it was like maybe we don’t want to come up there, and now it feels a lot more comfortable."
The kickoff of the Winter Walk coincided with SantaCon, further amplifying the holiday cheer. Former Golden State Warriors player Festus Ezeli, who co-hosted the inauguration of the event, shared his enthusiasm with KTVU, saying, "There’s Santas everywhere. I just love being a part of this." In the meantime, local businesses like Kekoa Creative are experiencing a boom with Oliver Cheong, co-owner, revealing, "My husband actually ran home to make more body butters because there’s been so much support from the community."
Corporate sponsors, including JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, and Gap Inc., have made their presence known, with Gap presenting the holiday marketplace for the first time this year.
