Strengthening the Community-Explore ways to take action and foster positive change in collaboration with San Francisco's Cultural Districts. Keep scrolling for more community updates!
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Strengthening the Community
Explore ways to take action and foster positive change in collaboration with San Francisco's Cultural Districts. Keep scrolling for more community updates!
Language Access Expansion with SOMA Pilipinas!
For the first and second quarter of 2025, SOMA Pilipinas is excited to launch two educational initiatives with community partners in City College of San Francisco and the Pin@y Partnership Program (PEP) that serves students in the SFUSD system. SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District recently kicked off the Filipino Language Translation course with its partners at City College of San Francisco. The program will run for five weeks, followed by the Interpretation course for another five weeks. Students who complete these courses will be equipped to provide a high level of Filipino language translation and interpretation services to serve the community. This spring, SoMA will also work with PEP to formally integrate the SOMA Pilipinas community into their "Filipinos in San Francisco" curriculum. This partnership will allow students enrolled in PEP throughout SFUSD to learn more about the history and contemporary issues of their local Filipino community.
LGBT+ individuals, vulnerable immigrants, and asylees will share experiences, advocate for rights, and have strong network support through engaging presentations, performances, and discussions. Interpretation in Spanish and Tagalog will be available.
When: Friday, March 21st, 12 pm
Where: Transgender District Office, 1067 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103
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.
*Click the image for more information*
SF Eagle Beer Bust Benefiting the Golden Dildeaux Awards
The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is hosting a beer bust (all-you-can-drink beer/soda plus food for $20) to support the annual Golden Dildeaux Awards.
When: Sunday, April 6th, 3 pm
Where: SF Eagle, 398 12th Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Golden Dildeaux Award Ceremony
The annual Golden Dildeaux Awards is a long-standing fundraiser with cheeky categories. At $1 a vote, the highest vote-getter wins that category and a coveted award.
When: Saturday, April 12th, 5 pm
Where: SF Eagle, 398 12th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
57th Cherry Blossom Festival of Northern California
Japantown's signature annual event, the Cherry Blossom Festival of Northern California, is the largest outside of Washington, DC. Over two weekends, it attracts over 200,000 visitors. Enjoy the best that Japantown has to offer!
When: Friday, April 12th 11:30 am
Where: San Francisco Japantown, 9411
2550 Irving Art Engagement
Join the Sunset Chinese Cultural District as they work with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), which aims to engage community members who live, work, and thrive in the Sunset District surrounding the 2550 Irving Street Affordable Housing site.
When: Saturday, April 25th, 12 pm
Where: Wah Mei School, 1400 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA 94122
13th Annual Soy & Tofu Festival
The Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival, the signature fundraiser for for the Nichi Bei Foundation, educates the public on the benefits of soy and tofu. The festival showcases soy and tofu vendors, cooking demonstrations, cooking workshops, Asian American entertainment, family-fun activities, and—new for 2024 — a Youth Art Contest! It also serves as a vehicle for community-building and leadership development.
When: Saturday, June 22nd, 11am- 5pm
Where: 1111 Gough St. San Francisco, CA 94109
Flores De Mayo Festival!
SOMA Pilipinas will host the 27th Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration program at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA),
Date and Time TBD
Where: YBCA 701 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103
Out & About Series with San Francisco Heritage Foundation
A partner to the SF Cultural Districts, the San Francisco Heritage Foundation's "Out and About" series showcases opportunities to connect with diverse communities across the city. This includes but is not limited to, visits to restaurants, historical sites, and community landmarks. Recent installments have featured the Sunset Chinese Cultural District and Bayview's African American Arts & Cultural District. Visit their website for more chances to engage with the cultural assets that make San Francisco unique.
Program and Community Updates
Get inspired by the important and transformative work of the San Francisco Cultural Districts and their community members.
In February, the Transgender District hosted its 2nd Annual Health and Wellness Fair. Over 27 organizations, city programs, and healthcare providers participated. Despite rainy weather, over 150 community members attended the fair and connected with expansive services from surgery recovery centers and gender-affirming care providers to TGNC-competent health providers, housing services, and more! The District also donated gender-affirming cosmetics, over 120 Hygiene kits, and 85 warm blankets to SFCHC's Taimon Booton Navigation Center to help our at-risk Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming community members.
"As we are preparing for a turbulent year, we are standing strong. We are stepping into our resilient power to continue highlighting Transgender and Gender Expansive history and representation within the Tenderloin and San Francisco."
On February 28, the Japantown Cultural District launched the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Pop-up at Japantenna with an epic ribbon-cutting featuring 15 dignitaries, including Consul General of Japan Yo Osumi, State Senator Scott Wiener, State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, and District 5 Bilal Mahmood. The three-day pop-up featured appearances by MYAKU MYAKU, the official mascot of Expo 2025, throughout the Japan Center Malls. The mascot also visited with the students of the Kinmon Gakuen Japanese Language Institute, attended the Japanese Speaking Society Elementary School Speech Contest at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, played with preschoolers at the KOHO Co-Creative Hub, and met with students of the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program at Rosa Parks and Clarendon Elementary Schools.
The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District's fourth annual Holiday Market at SOMArts was very successful, with more than 300 attendees and 40 exhibitors. The event did not charge vendor fees, and it produced $25,000 in vendor revenue and performer stipends!
The Sunset Chinese Cultural District experienced a successful Sunset Lunar New Year event on Sunday, February 9, at the Outer Sunset Farmer's Market and Mercantile!
我們仍然能感受到 2 月 9 日星期日在外日落區農貿市塲舉行的日落區新年慶典帶來的關愛！
They welcomed Mayor Lurie and Assembly Member Catherine Stefani, the two newest elected officials to represent our Sunset community, and Supervisor Chyanne Chen, the newly elected representative for the neighboring District 11.
我們非常高興地歡迎市長羅偉和州眾議員司嘉怡，他們是代表我們日落社區的兩位最新當選官員，以及鄰近第 11 區的新當選市參事陳小焱。
Thousands of families came out to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and celebrate the Year of the Snake together. SCCD offered many family-friendly activities, resource booths, and performers, including Yau Kung Moon and local Sunset dancing groups!
數千個家庭外出享受陽光明媚的好天氣，共同慶祝蛇年的到來。我們有很多適合家庭的活動、資源攤位和表演者，包括柔功門和我們當地的日落區舞蹈團！
Volunteer and Career Opportunities
Stay tuned for more information on future 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.
