A few thousand revelers descended on 2nd Street Thursday evening, defying dreary weather and New Year’s Eve hangovers for music, food, shopping and pet psychics at 2026’s first Downtown First Thursdays street party.
Organizers were hoping for a crowd of up to 20,000 on Thursday, but the odds were against such high attendance: damp and drizzly weather, a downtown empty of workers and people potentially partied out from the night before. At the beginning of the event, attendance was sparse, but soon, a hardy crowd of revelers was meandering up and down 2nd Street, beers and snacks in hand.
Among them was A.J., a 56-year-old resident of the Richmond, who was hanging out with a couple of friends. He’d attended other First Thursday block parties in 2025 and enjoyed them, he said.
Magnolia Polaris & Booty Juice B2B perform on Jesse Street west of 2nd Street during a Downtown First Thursdays street party in San Francisco on Thursday. (Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle)
“It’s been really amazing. I love to see San Francisco coming back,” he said. “The Doom Loop is broken!”
Ken Woo and Naomi Perlman, both 52, had come downtown from the Excelsior. The couple were longtime SF residents, Woo said, fondly recalling long nights out back in the 1990s.
“I love that the city is trying to bring nightlife back,” he said. “This is a nice step toward showing everyone that SF is fun.”
Nearby, pedestrians milled about, ordering tacos and Nepalese dumplings from vendors, and Jamaican patties from Yeheyis Bedada, co-owner of Peaches Patties, one of San Francisco’s few Caribbean food outfits.
As rain falls, Benjamin Tan watches as Magnolia Polaris & Booty Juice B2B performs on Jesse Street west of 2nd Street during a Downtown First Thursdays street party in San Francisco on Thursday. (Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle)
The New Year’s Day event was a bit slow, he acknowledged. But he’d enjoyed participating in other First Thursday events, and he thought the city was on the up swing.
After Mayor Daniel Lurie’s election, he said, the mayor visited their shop, asking them what needed to happen to bring the city back. Safe streets and clean streets, he recalled telling the mayor.
“So far, so good,” he said, with a grin.
Musical artists Martin Luther McCoy, Tiffany Austin, Deuce Eclipse and Otis McDonald headlined the event.
Other attractions included swing dance lessons and live music by Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, a popup fashion show with Mario B., the Winterwear Pooch Pageant, and a market of local food and retail vendors.
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers featuring Danny Armstrong perform during a Downtown First Thursdays street party in San Francisco on Thursday. (Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle)
Spectators watched as bands at several sound stages, and at one, Chris Parmer, 34, and Alisa Wolf, 36, hosted Palette, a monthly dance party.
“We enjoy throwing great parties and bringing new, indie music to new ears,” said Parmer. “We’re delighted to see so many people – the rain doesn’t stop people from coming.”
The dance party wasn’t their only task, Wolf said. Later in the evening, she would be emceeing a winter wear pooch pageant.
But locals weren’t the only people on the streets. Julia and Grant Messenger, both 28, were in town for the holidays, visiting from North Carolina.
They’d stumbled on the block party while looking for a place to eat, Julia Messenger said, as she waited in line to get a silkscreen printed tote from Evolve SF.
“We were going to have a cozy night and have a drink, and we came upon this,” she said. “Honestly, it’s really cool.”
The Downtown First Thursdays street party on 2nd Street in San Francisco on Thursday. (Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle)
The monthly block party began in 2024 as an effort by local boosters to get people back into the city’s downtown, and regularly draws 20,000 people or more, according to organizer Katy Birnbaum, and injected $28 million into local small businesses.
“We hope to keep bringing down huge audiences, get them excited about downtown small businesses again. It’s just a time to fill the streets and reintroduce San Franciscans to downtown and the businesses down here,” Birnbaum said.
Lurie credited the monthly block party with generating foot traffic for small businesses, more visibility for artists and performers, and more opportunities for people to explore and enjoy the city.
“San Francisco’s comeback depends on a vibrant, welcoming downtown – and Downtown First Thursdays deliver that every time,” Lurie said in a statement.
This article originally published at Crowds brave weather for downtown S.F. street party on New Year’s Day.