For the last few years, San Francisco’s Union Square has become a go-to spot for people on Thanksgiving.

At the Union Square Skating Rink, the people on the ice are here for a bunch of reasons.

The operators of the rink said it’s been getting busier here the last few years on Thanksgiving night.

At Johns Grill a couple blocks away, the kitchen is buzzing.

For the third year in a row, this historic spot is having thanksgiving service. They’re expecting to serve 1,000 guests tonight.

NBC Bay Area talked with one guest who drove in with his wife from Dublin to meet his sister for dinner.

“Kids are little bit older, daughters are in New York. Sons in Florida, visiting other family. So, it was an open night for us, so we decided to come and enjoy the city. It’s beautiful, it’s all lit up, it’s clean,” he said.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown says Union Square eateries and all the activity are a good fit for people whose family holiday traditions may have changed.

And for those who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, this is probably a good time to enjoy the city without the usual hustle and bustle.

“It’s been busy in certain places. We went out to the other side out to Sausalito and saw the bridge from there. And came back, and it’s great because the traffic is not bad. So that’s good,” said Pam Nixon, who is visiting from Toronto, Canada.

Kai Tumbaga and his family also don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

They were at Thursday’s Annual Indigenous People’s sunrise gathering at Alcatraz.

“It was honestly really nice, just listening to it. And it was honestly great being a part of it,” Tumbaga said.

Thanksgiving night is usually the official start of the Christmas holiday season.

But for those who head to Macy’s to make Christmas wishes on Santa’s lap, he won’t be here this year.

According to Macy’s, Santa is going on tour, beginning with the Macy’s thanksgiving day parade, in New York City Thursday.

But this year’s tour won’t make it to San Francisco.

Santa Claus at Macy’s has been a tradition in the city since the late 1940s, when Macy’s took over Union Square, making it a West Coast flagship store.