When it’s chilly and snowy outside, you know that wintertime is here! It is tempting to plunge into idleness with its hibernating weather, like spending long hours sitting on a couch with eyes glued on gadgets or television. It may be uncomfortable to roam outside, but kids always love to explore the outdoors to dust off their boredom. As parents, finding things to do during the winter season in San Francisco can be challenging. Fortunately, San Francisco has plenty of top fun-filled and exciting winter activities and holiday events for kids guaranteed to keep them from saying, “I’m bored!”
San Francisco has tons of beautiful spots and attractions, epic playgrounds, and kid-friendly holiday activities and events that you can add to your family’s winter holiday itinerary. Why not check out San Francisco’s remarkable skateparks or nearest ski resort slopes for snow tubing or sledding? Perhaps take them to museums or SF zoos for fun and educational experience? Or bring them to festive shows or holiday events? With the winter activities in San Francisco, wintertime will no longer be dull but will be the kind of holiday that kids look forward to each year!
While staying indoors in the winter season can be tempting, it is always best to preoccupy your kids with activities to keep them physically active and healthy. So, check out below our top winter activities and events in San Francisco for kids and add them to your kid’s holiday bucket list!
Union Square
333 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone number: (415) 781-2606
November 6, 2024 – Jan 20, 2025
Monday – Sunday | 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Skating at the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink is one of the top winter activities for kids and the entire family in San Francisco. The favorite outdoor rink in San Francisco is back, with daily ice skating for all ages and special holiday events scheduled for this winter season.
General admission is $20, and children 8 and under are $15, including skate rental. Purchase tickets in advance and online.
Exploratorium at Pier 15
Embarcadero at Green St., San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone Number: (415) 528-4444
November 21, 2024 – January 26, 2025
Sunday (Daytime Members/Donors Only 10:00 am to Noon) | 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Saturday | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday (Ages 18+) | 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Step into the art and science of light, and recharge your winter wonder in San Francisco with lots of fun activities and events for kids this holiday season. Discover luminous artworks that dazzle and surprise. Play experimental LED dungeon crawlers (Robin Baumgarten), or delight in glowing geometries, then fold and build your own (Collective Paper Aesthetics).
See real objects float with movie screen technology (Toshio Iwai), or count the craters on a vast glowing moon (Luke Jerram). Paint the walls with digital light and shadow (Zach Lieberman) and walk inside hypnotic 3D illusions and question what’s real (Olivier Ratsi). Soak up prismatic color inspired by particle physics (Akiko Yamashita) and try out new exhibit prototypes in the Light Lab. Don’t miss this beloved annual expansion of the iconic exhibits on light.
Bay Area Discovery Museum
557 McReynolds Rd., Sausalito, CA 94965
Phone Number: (415) 339-3900
Opens on November 20, 2024
Wednesday – Sunday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Special Winter Break Hours:
December 23 | Open 10 am – 4 pm for Winter Break
December 24 – 25 | Closed for Holiday
December 26 – 30 | Open 10 am – 4 pm for Winter Break
December 31 | Open 9 am – 2 pm for New Year’s Eve
January 1: Closed for Holiday
Experience a winter wonderland in the Bay Area! Glide, twirl, and wobble across an iceless pond as you take in the breathtaking sights of the Northern Lights. Enjoy all the ice skating fun without the cold or fear of falling. Help your child put on their “skates” (double-edged Velcro clip-ons that go over their shoes), slip on some shoe covers yourself, and go gliding together around the small rink – a great and very safe way for them to practice their balance and gliding technique.
Stretch your imagination and discover more this winter under the Golden Gate Bridge. Share meaningful moments with your loved ones and explore Bay Area Discovery Museum’s 7.5 acres of interactive exhibits designed for children ages 6 months-8 years old. The Bay Area Discovery Museum’s iceless skating rink is a great novelty for little ones visiting the museum.
Fairmont San Francisco
950 Mason St., San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone Number: (415) 772-5000
November 29, 2024 – January 1, 2025
Monday – Tuesday | 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday – Sunday | 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
The holidays wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the two-story-high Victorian Gingerbread House built in the lobby of the Fairmont San Francisco. Decorated with beautiful lights, piped in white icing, and finished with far too many sweets to count, your little one will be amazed by the life-sized structure that dazzles everyone who sees it.
A visit to the Fairmount will soon become a family tradition, with adults enjoying a glass of bubbles and the familiar smell of the festive treat. However, we do advise resisting the temptation to eat gingerbread.
San Francisco, CA 94118
Phone Number: (415) 824-0386
November 24, 2024 – January 31, 2025
Christmas trees and holiday decorations aren’t the only things that are glowing this holiday season. Illuminate SF™ is the annual light art festival that brightens all of San Francisco, Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. This is one of the most celebrated holiday events in San Francisco with so many fun activities for kids this winter season, brought to life by the San Francisco Travel Association in collaboration with local civic arts and cultural partners, turns the city into a dazzling canvas of light art.
As you stroll through the city, enjoy the mesmerizing public art installations that spark creativity and innovation. Most of the spectacular displays during the San Francisco Illuminate event are accessible by public transportation and, best of all, they’re free to enjoy. Dive into this guide to experience the magic of Illuminate SF™ and see San Francisco’s modern light art scene in a whole new light.
Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center
99 Moraga Ave., San Francisco, CA 94129
Phone Number: (415) 960-3949
December 21 – 29, 2024
Select Days | 1:00 pm | 6:00 pm
Awaken your childlike wonder this holiday season with a brand new take on the family classic, Peter Pan. The adventure begins in San Francisco before soaring away to the magical world of Neverland, featuring familiar characters such as Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and the Lost Boys.
Panto in the Presidio fans will recognize favorites including Pecker the singing rooster and the wonderfully wacky Dame who narrates the action. Now in its fourth year, Panto in the Presidio has quickly become a San Francisco holiday staple. Join in the Panto traditions of booing the villains, cheering the heroes, and singing along to popular songs played by a live band. Oh, and watch out for flying candy!
Peacock Meadow, Golden Gate Park
240 John F Kennedy Dr., San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone Number: (415) 831-5500
December 7, 2024
Viewing is free and open to the public day and night. Illumination takes place from sunset to park closing.
Entwined’s forest of illuminated color has lit up Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park every winter since 2020, immersing park visitors in a realm of art, technology, and nature. In 2023, the installation returns as Entwined: Elder Mother, a new iteration of the art installation that features a monumental shade-bearing tree that moves in the wind.
Inspired by nature, this interactive art installation will connect and enchant visitors of all ages. The trees range from 12 to 20 feet tall, with illuminated canopies as large as 30 feet, filling the meadow with changing light. Sculptures of 2,000 LED lights cluster into small flowering bushes at varying heights, filling the green space with peaks and valleys of radiating light.
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone Number: (415) 861-5600
December 26-29, 2024
Daily (Time Varies) | 11:00 am | 2:00 pm | 4:00 pm | 7:00 pm
Experience the magical winter wonderland of toy soldiers, King of the Mice, Sugar Plum Fairy, and so much more. This dazzling production is a kaleidoscope of over 150 dancers accompanied by the SF Ballet Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s beloved score. Create everlasting memories with loved ones.
The 2004 premiere of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker was made possible by Lead Sponsors The Herbert Family and The Swanson Foundation and Sponsors Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Kathleen Scutchfield, and The Smelick Family.
Pier 39
0-11 Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone Number: (415) 835-0019
All-Year-Round
Monday – Sunday | 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Can you find your way out of the infinite mirror maze? Whether you are visiting San Francisco or live here, Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze is an attraction you must experience. Step inside the endless rows of glowing arches and get ready to lose track of time as you wander (or run around after your preschooler) through the psychedelic maze. Perfect for all the family, you’ll enjoy the challenge of escape as the 70 mirrors and fluorescent lights try to disorient you.
It’s a great and low-cost way to spend the afternoon and children under 5 enter for free! But remember to keep your little ones close as you enter the maze! SF Weekly says Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze “is possibly the most psychedelic place one can legally reach within the city limits. Black lights set this labyrinth of mirrors a glow, making you completely lose track of where you are and where you are trying to go. Plus, they let you stay and trip out as long as you want.”
55-61 Jefferson St., San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone number: (888) 386-5585
All-Year-Round
Monday – Friday | 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday | 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
This winter season, the newest fun-filled place to enjoy lots of activities for kids has finally arrived in San Francisco! Museums in the Bay City are known for their inspiring, world-class art, but nowhere will you have as much fun exploring the art world as at the Museum of Illusions. This museum is designed to let visitors’ imaginations soar, surfing epic waves, flying through the sky like Mary Poppins, or living like a Lilliputian in a dollhouse.
Anything is possible in our lavish dreamscape, making the Museum of Illusions the most fun museum in San Francisco. Don’t miss out on this fantastic experience for an amazing deal! Bring your families, friends, and loved ones and create memories that will last a lifetime.
The winter season in San Francisco is always something to look forward to in the Bay Area. Since most of the year is sunny, the cold season provides a break from high temperatures and a chance to look for some chilly things to do outdoors. It doesn’t get better than having some time off to have fun and enjoy quality time with family.
It’s a good thing that San Francisco has an endless supply of fun-filled winter activities and holiday events for kids who are just a short drive away from home. From ice skating to winter wonderlands and everything in between, a San Francisco winter season is something to embrace!
San Francisco offers so many opportunities for kids to enjoy and have fun all year round! Check out our list of resources, or browse through our things to do in San Francisco with kids. Still looking for more activities for kids in San Francisco? No problem! Check out our comprehensive listing of places to go in the region and our highly recommended seasonal blog posts.
Winter Activities for Kids in the Sacramento Area
12 Days of Winter Activities for Kids in San Jose
Best Places to See Holiday and Christmas Lights in San Francisco
Best Places to See Santa in San Francisco
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