Union Square Plaza is kicking off a season of free winter crafts this week, starting with beaded corn on Thursday and rolling through paper lanterns, charm frames and nature wands by the weekend. The activities mark the return of hands-on family programming to the downtown plaza, which is bringing back its free daily amenities on Wednesday after a closure.
According to visitunionsquaresf.com, free winter crafts will be offered on select Thursdays through Sundays from Thursday, November 5, 2026, through January 17, 2027. The calendar lists free programming at Union Square Plaza.
The opening lineup is packed into a single week. Thursday brings Beaded Corn with Coffee N Cream Press and SF Etsy, followed Friday by Charm Covered Mini Frames with Rebecca Saylor Studio and SF Etsy, per the same listing. Saturday's session is Diwali Paper Lanterns with SCRAP SF, and the week wraps Sunday with Nature Inspired Wands from Maker Studio Kidz.
Daily Amenities Return to the Plaza
Beyond the scheduled crafts, free daily amenities at Union Square are set to resume on Wednesday, following a closure of the plaza, the site notes. The program schedule is subject to change, according to the same source.
Funding Behind the Plaza's Free Programs
This year's activities are made possible with support from Bank of America and a grant from the Office of Mayor Daniel Lurie and the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development to Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, per visitunionsquaresf.com. The programming is offered in cooperation with San Francisco Recreation and Parks and the Union Square Alliance, the site adds.
The investment follows a sizable public commitment to activating the plaza. In December 2024, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the city had planned a $1 million contract requiring BRV to provide roughly 200 days of Union Square programming in 2025.
A Pilot Year That Drew Big Crowds
That investment appears to have paid off in turnout. Biederman Redevelopment Ventures reported hosting 429 free programs at Union Square during the 2025 pilot year, according to Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, with those programs engaging more than 800,000 participants and boosting daily plaza visitation by 13.7%.
The city's own tracking points to a similar upward trend. San Francisco Recreation and Parks reported that average monthly visitors to Union Square had increased by 5% since the launch of the Heart of the City plan, according to the agency's newsflash. With the craft season set to begin November 5, organizers appear to be betting that another winter of free hands-on activities will keep that momentum going through January.
