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A Note of Gratitude
As we close out the year, we want to express our deep gratitude to San Francisco’s Cultural Districts' leadership and staff. This year has been a testament to resilience and an unwavering commitment to community. They show up with strength and vision—preserving culture, uplifting voices, and creating spaces for belonging.
We are inspired by the work that Cultural Districts do every day (just some of which is highlighted in the newsletter below). Their efforts remind us that cultural preservation is not just about history—it’s about shaping a future rooted in equity, care, and connection.
Here’s to closing the year with gratitude and stepping into the new year with renewed energy and purpose!
Sincerely,
Grace J. Lee and Imani Pardue-Bishop
MOHCD Cultural District Program Team
P.S. Scroll to the bottom to check out some upcoming events across San Francisco.
Program and Community Updates
Cultural Districts shared reflections on their accomplishments from this past year and expressed excitement for the year ahead. Read all about it below!
Looking Back: AICD marked its Fifth Year Anniversary & Town Hall, which drew nearly 200 attendees and highlighted AICD's Community Visions (CHHESS Priorities) and five years of collaborative work.
Working with the Leadership Council, the AICD unveiled over 50 community-driven policy strategies, which resulted from the two-year Community Visions Gathering Series. To advance IndigenizeSF placemaking, the district focused on the Mapping Genocide Project, addressing the City's commemoration of those responsible for attempted genocide against American Indians. Engagement efforts included exhibits, feedback sessions, and the Native American Heritage Month Gala: IndigenizeSF & Shaping Legacy Celebration.
Recently, AICD was officially recognized as a state-designated Cultural District by the California Arts Council (CAC) on Friday, December 12th. Read the press release from AICD.
Looking Ahead: AICD looks forward to its Sixth Annual Town Hall & Anniversary Celebration and the third annual Native American Heritage Month Celebration. The Community Culture and Land Stewardship Program will also continue. A significant project milestone will be the conclusion of the IndigenizeSF Mapping Genocide Project in February 2026.
In 2026, the district is also launching a new Community Visions Gathering Series focused on asset mapping, as well as hosting two local celebrations designed to highlight and support local merchants and service organizations.
Looking Back: Fiesta de las Americas filled Calle 24 Latino Cultural District with rich culture, a family-friendly atmosphere, and over 10,000 visitors. This event boosted the local economy, particularly the local restaurants, while elevating the Latino diaspora.
Looking Ahead: Calle 24 is excited to welcome its mobile clinic twice a week in the next year. The district is also looking forward to starting its cooking competitions back in March and continuing the Calle Limpa, Corazón Contento events.
Looking Back: Castro LGBTQ Cultural District's major milestones includes the approval of its CHHESS Report by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on February 4th. Key activities included the completion of the Living Lesbian Legends mural by Tanya Wischerath, the annual Pulse Memorial event, and a Transgender History Month panel. It concluded the year with the publication of the booklet, "The Castro: The Story of San Francisco’s Best-Known LGBTQ+ Neighborhood".
The staff and board acknowledge that queer and trans communities face duress from federal funding and program eliminations, but they remain hopeful that coalitions will ensure safety in San Francisco.
Looking Ahead: The district is planning several new initiatives, including neighborhood walking tours, a new mural in the Castro, and an art show with Queer Arts Featured focusing on trans men and trans masculine individuals.
Additionally, the district will contribute to the major exhibition, "Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements," opening in March at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA). Curated by Tina Valentín Aguirre and Caro De Robertis, this multimedia exhibition will explore the culture, resistance, and beauty of Bay Area queer and trans communities using art, archive, and imagination. It will feature works by artists like Ester Hernández, Serge Gay Jr., and Tanya Wischerath, alongside archival materials from the GLBT Historical Society and audio from Caro De Robertis’s "I See My Light Shining" oral history project.
Looking Back: The Japantown Cultural District launched the Expo 2025 Osaka Pop-up, which drew 1,189 visitors over three days, and featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by 15 dignitaries. Additionally, the 2025 Japantown Navigators Program featured a diverse cohort of community members, including students, young professionals, and a retiree. The Navigators hosted 8,087 people during their tenure, which officially concluded with a ceremony. Lastly, the district celebrated the official posting of its street signs!
Looking Ahead: Despite funding cuts from other sources, the district plans to introduce a fourth cohort of Japantown Navigators. The Japantown Cultural District will also continue its commitment to authentic Japanese cultural experiences by supporting local artists and instructors in traditional practices, including calligraphy, flower arranging, and tea ceremony.
Looking Back: LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District successfully installed the first five commemorative plaques for the Leather Legacy Landmarks project as part of the Folsom Streetscape project. It also hosted the Cemented in History unveiling, featuring Supervisor Matt Dorsey as a guest speaker. The annual Golden Dildeaux Awards, Gear Swap n Shops, and LeatherWalk continue to be the district's highest-grossing fundraisers and most popular community events.
Looking Ahead: The district plans to install more commemorative sidewalk plaques and continue its annual events. The plaques, along with previously installed streetscape elements like banners, wraps, custom signs, and trash cans, firmly establish the district's historical presence in the neighborhood. The recurring events are essential for building community and providing vital opportunities for the district’s diverse constituencies to gather.
Looking Back: Pacific Islander Cultural District (PICD) held its inaugural celebration on May 17 and unveiled official district street signage.
Looking Ahead: The district plans to expand access to services for children and families through programs such as Pasefika Reads and Counts, improved outreach efforts, and stronger connections to resources provided by grassroots organizations. PICD will also deepen its partnerships with local organizations and entrepreneurs to broaden opportunities and ensure that services accurately reflect the community’s needs.
Looking Back: This year's Bayview Juneteenth and Father’s Day Celebration brought out thousands of residents and visitors for a full day of music, performances, vendors, and community connection. The event created a joyful space centered on Black culture and heritage, strengthening pride and togetherness across the neighborhood. The first-ever Bayview Shuttle Food Tour was launched to highlight local restaurants and draw more people to experience Bayview’s culinary scene. Community response was overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating how the tour can support small businesses, increase visibility for neighborhood eateries, and encourage economic growth.
Looking Ahead: SFAAACD is planning to install a new street mural that embodies the community’s history, creativity, and identity. This initiative aims to provide support for local Black artists, enhance the aesthetics of a prominent public area, and establish a cultural focal point for both residents and visitors to appreciate. The mural is expected to boost neighborhood pride and contribute a significant artistic element to the vicinity.
In addition, SFAAACD is launching a February Financial Wellness Workshop Series dedicated to budgeting, debt reduction, credit improvement, and pathways to homeownership. By organizing these sessions during Black History Month, the organization will pay tribute to the tradition of economic empowerment within the Black community while ensuring that families have access to valuable guidance at no cost.
Looking Back: SOMA Pilipinas showcased a major exhibition, "Makibaka: A Living Legacy," at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA). Running from August to January 2026, the exhibition features contemporary artworks alongside community-held objects, tracing the Filipino community's lasting presence and contributions to San Francisco through culture, kinship, and labor.
SOMA Pilipinas and the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) spearheaded a successful initiative to landmark the culturally and historically significant Mint Mall and Hall (951-957 Mission St). The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved this landmark designation on October 7.
Looking Ahead: The district looks forward to celebrating a major milestone: SOMA Pilipinas's 10 Year Anniversary next April. The district plans to bring the community together to celebrate this accomplishment and collaboratively envision the work for the next decade.
Looking Back: SCCD's long-standing Lunar New Year Festival and Autumn Moon Festival continue to be reliable sources of community building and gathering in the Sunset. For the 2550 Irving Housing project, the district hosted an artist selection process. The awarded artist ultimately reached out to collaborate with the other two finalists—highlighting the spirit of inclusivity and partnership that defines the community.
The district organized a monolingual community meeting to help residents understand zoning and its impact on the area. Attendees shared their hopes and concerns about future development. Later, elected officials and City departments attended a follow-up session where public comments were translated into English—reversing the usual dynamic of public comment. Several participants remained engaged and advocated for Sunset voices at City zoning hearings.
Looking Ahead: SCCD looks forward to moving into its new space at 2550 Irving, which is anticipated to occur in the spring! The district also plans to bring back the Sunset Night Market in collaboration with the Sunset Night Market Collaborative.
Looking Back: The district concluded 2025 with impactful, empowering events. The "Glam & Beauty: A Trans Femme Masterclass," developed in partnership with Chanel Beauty's Link Initiative and the SF LGBT Center's Fresh Starts group, connected over 40 trans femme community members with professional makeup, skincare, and full-size beauty products. This program provided gender-affirming beauty education in a safe, empowering space, which increased participants' confidence in gender expression and fostered lasting community connections. The Holistic Health Series brought together Yoga with Ki and Self-Defense training through collaboration with community partners. These integrated wellness workshops equipped the community with stress management techniques and tools for empowerment and protection, delivering vital health and safety resources.
Looking Ahead: The district is excited to partner with Parivar and other stakeholders to host Immigrant Symposiums. These convenings will amplify the emergent needs of asylee and immigrant communities by bringing together service providers, community leaders, and directly impacted individuals to identify resource gaps and strengthen the collective response. Additionally, the district will kick off the year with its 3rd Annual Health and Wellness Fair on February 19th at the Koret Lobby & Latinx Room in the SF Public Library. This comprehensive resource hub will connect transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals with preventive care, mental health services, and wellness education.
Upcoming Events and Celebrations
From art festivals to fundraisers to cultural celebrations, there's always something new and exciting happening in San Francisco's Cultural Districts.
Traditional Japanese Flower Arranging Experience in the Sogetsu Style
The Japantown Cultural District Visitor Center will host a fun cultural experience of Sogetsu-style flower arranging.
When: Saturday, January 10, 12pm
Where: Japantown Cultural District Visitor Center, 22 East Mall, SF
Mixer & Strategy Session: JUSTICE FOR LGBTQ+ IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES
The Transgender District is launching a new collaborative space to convene and strategize—bringing together lawyers, community members, allies, corporations, business leaders, artists, celebrities, advocates, and organizations. The aim is to build a sustainable pipeline of resources so that no LGBTQ asylum seeker faces their hearing without legal representation.
When: Thursday, January 22, 6:30pm
Where: The Academy SF, 2166 Market St., SF
Goal Setting, Budgeting, and Savings
Join San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District (SFAAACD) in this session where participants will learn how to set goals based on their values, build a budget that works for them, and save for the future.
When: Monday, February 3, 6pm
Where: 5172 3rd St., SF
Improving Credit and Managing Debt
Also hosted by SFAAACD, participants in this session will learn how to improve their credit and better manage debt, including building a positive credit history, reducing credit utilization and dealing with delinquent debts.
When: Monday, February 10, 6pm
Where: 5172 3rd St., SF
3rd Annual Health and Wellness Fair
This comprehensive resource fair brings together community partners supporting transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals, connecting our community with preventive care, mental health services, wellness education, and resources to reduce barriers to care.
When: Thursday, February 19, 11am
Where: SF Main Public Library, Koret Lobby & Latinx Room
Sunset Night Market - Lunar New Year
Join Sunset Chinese Cultural District in welcoming the new year with activities, makers and vendors, and performances.
When: Friday, February 27, 5pm
Where: Irving St. at 22nd Ave., SF
Volunteer and Career Opportunities
The Cultural Districts program is a place-making and place-keeping program that preserves, strengthens and promotes cultural communities. There are ten Cultural Districts located across the City, each embodying a unique cultural heritage.
The program is a partnership between community and City and is coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, SF Planning, and Arts Commission.
