Bay Area politicos, billionaires, tech execs, and socialites celebrate the holidays too, of course. But when they ring in the holiday cheer, they bring in real snow. And sharks. And humanoid robots.
From Pacific Heights mansions to undisclosed rave warehouses, the city’s most-over-the-top parties have kept hosts busy. And while socialites never stopped partying, one notable change this year is that companies are back to spending money, money, money on year-end shindigs, thanks in part to the AI boom.
Lee Gregory, executive vice president of McCalls Catering, said it was the company’s first fully booked holiday season since Covid. “I’m already having to tell people, ‘Book now, because it’s going to be hard to get your date next year,’” she said. “That’s a big change.”
Here are some of the wildest, weirdest, and most expensive SF holiday parties you didn’t get invited to.
The ultimate society party
For upper-crust San Franciscans, the holiday season doesn’t start until society maven Dede Wilsey’s annual party, which turns her Pacific Heights home into a classic Christmas extravaganza. This year, the A-list of old-school San Francisco — including Willie Brown, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, Gordon Getty, and Denise Hale — were treated to a spread of sushi, shrimp deviled eggs, and whole lobsters, according to photos from the event. Decor included intricate gingerbread houses, a life-size Rudolph statue, and, of course, an original Renoir. It was a Wilsey party, after all.
Wilsey’s sons, Todd and Trevor Traina, took over the house two weeks later for their own soiree, which they’ve been hosting each year since high school. Their get-together boasted a younger crowd — and a later start time — but the same glitz and glamor, with dining options that included turkey and ham. Attendees included Roman Coppola, Connie Nielsen, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and Zynga founder Mark Pincus — and of course, Wilsey herself. “My mom says she enjoys our party better because she’s off duty,” Trevor quipped. “And she can leave whenever she wants.”
The party that trucks in real snow for city kids
Kids skate and sled down the real snow hill brought for the festivities. | Source: Greer Rivera
Last Saturday, it snowed in Mission Bay. This was a miracle created for one of the city’s cutest holiday parties, thrown annually by Democratic donor, sociologist, and author (opens in new tab) Gretchen Sisson and her husband, Facebook cofounder and Philo CEO Andrew McCollum.
What started as a small “hot chocolate party” for close friends and family has grown into some lucky SF kids’ favorite night of the year, when Spark Social, the food truck court in Mission Bay, gets transformed into a winter wonderland complete with sledding hill, ice rink, and legit snowflakes sprayed into the air.
Quite a few politicos were spotted in their warmest winter wear, sipping hot mulled wine and cocoa, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, California Controller Malia Cohen, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, City Attorney David Chiu, and state Sen. Scott Wiener. Giants CEO Larry Baer and his wife, Pam, were seen mingling and managing to avoid the sanctioned kids’ snowball fight.
The one with the rideable shark
The oddest tech holiday party of the year was probably the first annual “Ulysses rodeo” hosted by the underwater autonomous drone company Dec. 13. Hundreds of eager tech denizens flocked to Ulysses’ South Beach office to try their hands at the centerpiece of the evening: a bucking mechanical shark. (Like a mechanical bull, only more aquatic.) A surprising number survived the entire ride, though staying atop the shark took some rather graphic hip gyrating. Ulysses founders Will O’Brien and Akhil Voorakkara also offered attendees the chance to observe their drone technology in an inflatable pool.
While the tech was entertaining, the booze was lacking: Attendees reported little more on offer than Guinness, poured by the reliable bartenders from Casements. Recession indicator, or just a sign of an early-stage startup using its funds on more important things, like sharks?
The Gettys’ holiday party face-off
Gordon Getty’s holiday soiree always doubles as a birthday party; the billionaire businessman turns 92 later this month. Age has not slowed him down, as this year’s festivities were as ambitious — and star-studded — as ever. A crowd that included Gov. Gavin Newsom and wife Jennifer Seibel Newsom, the Pelosis, San Mateo Supervisor Jackie Speier, and philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem packed the halls of Getty’s five-story Pacific Heights mansion. Waiters served up a luxurious buffet of charcuterie, sushi, and fruit spilling opulently out of golden towers, and a massive Christmas tree lit the chandelier-laden ballroom. The pièce de résistance was the birthday cake — a replica of the house formed in pastry, complete with a miniature version of the cake inside.
Attendees say Gordon’s daughter-in-law Vanessa Getty had just as impressive a guest list at her annual soiree: Mayor Daniel Lurie and his wife, Newsom aide Becca Prowda; Gap Executive Vice President Zac Posen; San Francisco protocol chief Penny Coulter and her husband, Jim; and San Francisco Ballet Director Tamara Rojo.
The humanoid robot rave
Figure is facing an unlawful termination lawsuit from an ex-employee who alleges he was fired for raising safety concerns about the company’s humanoid robots, but that didn’t appear to dampen the holiday spirit. Brett Adcock, CEO of the 3-year-old, San Jose-based company, which was recently valued at $39 billion, (opens in new tab) threw a holiday rave for his hundreds of employees, complete with robot DJs and one robot waiter.
DJ Deadmau5 and DJ Gryffin spun while dancers in LED (opens in new tab) corsets towered over the crowd on stilts. At one point, a Figure robot delivered Deadmau5 a beer. It looked like the kind of event common around these parts in the heyday of the 2010s tech boom, but with more humanoids mingling.
The podcast boys sold tickets
It was a big year for the “All-In” podcast bros — and not just because David Sacks seemed to have single-handedly engineered federal crypto policy.
So of course San Francisco techies showed up en masse for their second annual “Holiday Spectacular” at the Regency Ballroom on Van Ness Avenue — with tickets costing $250 to $500. Cohosts Sacks, Jason Calacanis and David Friedberg wore tuxedo jackets and white shirts as they entertained their guests. (Chamath Palihapitiya couldn’t make it.)
Like any good podcast party, this one kicked off with a panel stage show at which the hosts roasted one another, followed by a set from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for those with the expensive tickets. Everyone enjoyed vodka cocktails and oysters.
“Lots of great conversations around AI, behavior, and the future,” tweeted VC Roman Iospa (opens in new tab). The after-party delivered casino games and poker tables, a set from DJ Destructo, and a ballerina in a red velvet tutu performing en pointe, all under the gaze of giant gold-framed portraits of the podcast hosts lining the walls.
The OpenAI kids got surreal
With rumors (opens in new tab) that OpenAI is set to IPO in 2026 and many employees likely to make a lot of money very soon, the holiday spirit was in full tilt for the company’s 10th annual blowout, held at an undisclosed San Francisco venue.
This year’s theme was “Collective Dream (opens in new tab),” a futuristic aesthetic that bathed a seemingly windowless room in violet and blue light, with laser projections across the ceiling, according to public posts. A retro arcade was labelled “Arcade GPT.” Two humanoid robots handed out high fives: Pollen Robotics’ Reachy, dressed in a striped vest, and a Galaxea R1 Pro. Other party tricks included a self-playing grand piano and a wall decorated with a delightfully nerdy museum-style timeline of OpenAI research and intelligence milestones. CashApp product lead Kristen Anderson called the party an “absolute surreal trip.” (opens in new tab) Attendees included OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, and Generation Alpha cofounder Bill Sun.