San Francisco, CA
Thousands of San Franciscans gather at Chase Center for free Christmas gifts
SAN FRANCISCO – More than 10,000 people from all across the Bay Area gathered at Chase Center on Saturday for a day filled with ice skating, arts and crafts and free Christmas toys.
Organizers said families were standing outside as early as 11:30 a.m., waiting for ‘Joy to the City’ to begin at 2 p.m.
“Let’s go do something as a family. And it’s pretty free, so why not? Nothing to lose,” Maria Martinez, who attended the event, told CBS News Bay Area.
Children were also able to choose a Christmas gift to take home with them this year.
“At home, we like to have movie nights so when we have movie nights, it’s much easier to use this popcorn popper. Plus, it’s really good. I like popcorn,” Amorha Moore, who attended the event with her family, said.
For the second year in a row, Assemblymember Matt Haney partnered with Code Tenderloin to host ‘Joy to the City.’
“We’re building community here. This is not just a neighborhood or one organization. It’s for everybody in San Francisco,” Haney told CBS News Bay Area.
“We raised the money for it over the last year and went out and bought the toys. The toys are good toys. Sometimes the kid gets a toy and it’s not what they wanted. Here, it’s actually choose a toy that they want” he added.
Haney said they collected more than 7,000 toys for the event this year, and his mission is to especially help families that have been struggling to make ends meet.
“There are a lot of families, including right here in San Francisco, who a toy means a lot to them. They don’t have enough to be able to provide for their kids. So, we all have to come together,” Haney said.
Ambassadors with Code Tenderloin, a community outreach program, said this event is something they’ve been looking forward to all year.
“Oh man, it’s been amazing. It’s been so busy all these kids running around with toys that they love. It’s really cool,” Matthew Vowles, an ambassador, told CBS News Bay Area.
Organizers said this fun and festive celebration is so much more than just distributing free toys. They emphasized that more than 1.4 million people face poverty across the Bay Area, and so anything helps during this holiday season.
“When there are families and kids during the holiday season who are not taken care of, that’s all of our responsibility,” Haney said.
“There’s a lot of rough times for a lot of people. And honestly, I wish I knew a lot sooner, I would have gave a lot more to help with this. But, I see a lot of kids who are like going through a very hard time financially and their parents cannot do this. And things like this really make a difference,” Martinez said.
A gray whale found in San Francisco Bay last week is believed to have been killed in a vessel strike, scientists said Thursday.
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito told CBS News Bay Area that an adult male whale was found floating off San Francisco’s Pier 80 on the morning of June 4. On June 5, the center’s Cetacean Conservation Biology Team saw the whale carcass floating southeast of Alcatraz.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers towed and secured the 38-foot whale, bringing the carcass to Sand Springs Beach at Angel Island State Park.
A team of scientists from the center and the California Academy of Sciences performed a necropsy on Sunday. Scientists noticed evidence of blunt force trauma, including hemorrhage behind the skull and a broken vertebra “consistent with blunt force trauma due to a suspected vessel strike.”
The whale was in “fair to normal body condition” at this point in the migratory season, the center said. Additional samples were taken for further testing.
According to the center, this case marks the 13th dead gray whale found in the wider Bay Area so far this year.
The cause of death in four of the incidents have been determined as suspected or probable vessel strikes, including a whale that was found off San Leandro on May 27 and a whale that was found in San Francisco Bay on March 17.
The center said gray whales are currently on their northern migration to their feeding grounds in the Arctic. Several whales frequenting San Francisco Bay are expected to depart in the next two weeks.
According to a population estimate by the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, there are about 12,900 North Pacific gray whales, the lowest since the early 1970s.
San Francisco, CA
Going to San Francisco Pride 2026? Parade Times, Maps, Street Closures and Safety Advice | KQED
Pride weekend comes at a time when LGBTQ+ organizations nationwide are continuing to push back against policies from President Donald Trump’s administration targeting transgender and nonbinary people.
Earlier this month, White House officials proposed new rules that would block federal agencies from funding anything related to transgender people — a move the administration has called “ending government sponsorship of gender ideology.”
“We want allies to come out in the street and show their support for trans people,” Ford said of SF Pride.
And all over the Bay Area, there are protests, parties and workshops scheduled throughout the weekend. As you make your Pride plans, keep this guide handy to know what’s happening in downtown San Francisco and elsewhere — and see what public health officials are recommending to stay safe while having fun this weekend.
When is SF Pride 2026?
This year, SF Pride falls on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.
What’s happening when? The SF Pride Celebration is a free two-day event in the city’s Civic Center that includes several block parties and musical performances from noon–6 p.m. on both days. On Sunday, the main stage will be hosted by political activist and drag performer Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and will feature performances by Oakland rapper Kamaiyah, the pop duo Aly & AJ and the ballroom collective Oakland to All.
SF Pride’s legendary Pride Parade takes place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and will move through Market Street. The parade starts at the intersection of Beale and Market streets and ends at Civic Center Plaza. Community members can also be part of the parade by joining SF Pride’s “Resistance in Action!” contingent.
Organizers have also planned a “VIP Party” on Sunday inside the Asian Art Museum, right in front of Civic Center.
Two additional major events taking place in SF Pride week, which aren’t produced by SF Pride: The Trans March will take place on Friday at Dolores Park, and the Dyke March is scheduled for Saturday and will also start at Dolores Park.
What streets will be closed for the SF Pride Parade and Celebration?
Market Street will be fully closed to vehicles on the day of the parade, Sunday, June 28. But various street closures around the city will start much earlier.
SFMTA has not yet released its official 2026 SF Pride street closures schedule, but in 2025, Civic Center Plaza and the surrounding streets were closed on Saturday and Sunday, with other street closures starting as early as Thursday and lasting into Monday.
Will I be able to find parking at SF Pride?
If you plan to park near Market Street on June 28 for the SF Pride Parade, you may want to rethink that strategy.
Finding a public parking spot in downtown San Francisco is already difficult on any other day of the year and nearly impossible during Pride. If you’re determined to drive into the city that weekend, there are private parking lots downtown, but bear in mind that they can be pricey, usually charging at least $30-$40 per hour, and likely more during big events.
Alternatively, you may need to drive to pretty far-off neighborhoods to find a spot. Or you can reserve a parking spot ahead of time using SpotHero.
Another option is to drive to a BART station outside the city, park there, and take BART to any of the downtown San Francisco stations on Market Street (Civic Center, Powell, Montgomery and Embarcadero). That way, you’ll avoid the weekend traffic coming into the city on the Bay Bridge or Highway 101.
Are there things I can’t bring to San Francisco Pride?
There are usually security checkpoints to get into both the Pride parade and the celebrations at the Civic Center. Event organizers strongly recommend people travel light and bring their ID, cell phone, sunscreen, and an empty reusable water bottle.
SF Pride is discouraging attendees from bringing any kind of bag to speed up entry into the event, but will allow some bags to pass through, including:
- Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags that do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″
- Small clutch bags or purses no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″
- Fanny packs or crossbody bags smaller than 12″ × 6″ × 4″
The following items will not be allowed during Pride weekend:
- Weapons of any kind (regardless of permit)
- Alcoholic beverages or outside food
- Drones or remote-control aircraft
- Bikes or hoverboards
- Chairs of any kind
- Selfie sticks or professional camera equipment without media credentials
- Pets (service animals welcome)
Check out the full list of banned items at SF Pride.
What’s the weather like in San Francisco during Pride weekend?
Keep an eye on the National Weather Service’s predictions for SF Pride weekend — your phone’s weather apps might not be as accurate.
And remember that this is San Francisco, where the weather can change very quickly. Even on a sunny day, it’s normal for the weather to still feel chilly, thanks to the strong winds pushing in from the bay. The city’s microclimates can also mean that while it’s sunny and warm in one neighborhood, another area can be cold and windy by comparison.
What to know about accessibility at SF Pride
The Pride parade has a free accessible viewing area, which organizers say provides an “unobstructed parade viewing at no cost for you and one guest.”
In order to request a spot, you’ll need to complete an online form, but organizers add that space is limited and spots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
SF Pride also offers American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and a special seating platform at the Civic Center celebration on both days. To access this service, you’ll need to pick up a wristband at the SF Pride information booth at Fulton and Larkin streets.
And if you’re taking BART to Pride, all BART stations have accessible elevators, but keep in mind that technical issues with these elevators are unfortunately common. You can sign up for BART alerts to be notified if the elevator at your station breaks down, or you can also call 510-834-LIFT to check the status of the elevator at any station.
Keeping each other safe at SF Pride
For decades, Pride in San Francisco has been a time when LGBTQ+ people have come together to advocate for the health needs of their community. Part of celebrating Pride is honoring that legacy and protecting our own sexual health and that of our partners.
“Talk with your partners and provider about when you last tested for an STI (sexually transmitted infection) and make testing part of your regular health routine,” a spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Health told KQED.
If you have insurance, call your health care provider and share that you need to know your status ahead of Pride weekend. And if you are uninsured, multiple clinics and LGBTQ+ community centers around the Bay Area offer free or low-cost STI testing, including:
Residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties can also request at-home HIV tests mailed to the address of their choice for free.
Public health officials also advise that folks learn about doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis — or doxy-PEP — an antibiotic taken after sex that research has shown to be highly effective at preventing syphilis and chlamydia. As for HIV prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis — or PrEP — can help protect folks from an HIV infection and can be taken as a pill or an injection. Vaccines are also available to help prevent hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), meningitis, and mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) infections.
Preventing a dangerous overdose
Taking party drugs (molly, cocaine, ketamine or 2C-B, also known as tusi or pink cocaine ) has become more dangerous in recent years, as these drugs are now being laced with fentanyl more frequently.
Public health advocates recommend that anyone who plans to consume drugs should test them ahead of time for fentanyl. The nonprofit FentCheck provides a list of bars and other community spaces that offer fentanyl test strips.
Something else to consider bringing with you when going out: Narcan, the brand name for a naloxone nasal spray that is administered to someone when they are experiencing an opioid overdose (including from fentanyl).
Anyone can buy Narcan at a pharmacy without needing a prescription, and you can also get it free of charge at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Behavioral Health Services pharmacy at 1380 Howard St. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With San Francisco down three runs,
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