This Week's Top Stories

Union Square

Union Square Is Finally Back — and a New SF Standard Deep Dive Says the Conditions Are Right to Stay That Way

A sweeping analysis published this week finds Union Square's long recovery turning a real corner, with new retailers, surging foot traffic, and renewed landlord confidence reshaping the district.

Four years after pandemic-era closures left San Francisco's most famous shopping corridor pocked with empty storefronts and bleak headlines, the San Francisco Standard published a major report on August 24 concluding that the conditions are in place for Union Square to thrive again. The piece by reporters Jessica Blough, Kevin V.

SFMOMA

SFMOMA Opens Hashimoto's Record-Breaking Kite Installation — and Announces Its First Fashion Show in 40 Years

Jacob Hashimoto's 75,000-element cloud canopy debuted this week in SFMOMA's free ground-floor gallery, while the museum simultaneously announced a landmark fashion exhibition opening in 2027.

Jacob Hashimoto: Giant Arc opened August 22 in SFMOMA's admission-free Roberts Family Gallery, becoming the largest installation of the multimedia artist's career. The work comprises nearly 75,000 hand-built kites of bamboo and Japanese paper suspended together into a cloud canopy that covers the gallery from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Visitors are encouraged to walk, sit, or even lie beneath the arc.

Downtown SF Partnership

Downtown SF Partnership Expands to Waterfront, Doubling Budget to $11 Million

Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation this summer officially extending the Downtown SF Partnership's service area to include Jackson Square, Embarcadero Plaza, and the Ferry Building — the largest expansion of any community benefit district in the city's history.

Following a unanimous 10-0 vote by the Board of Supervisors on July 21, Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation expanding and renewing the Downtown SF Partnership (DSFP) Community Benefit District — a move that stretches the organization's footprint from 43 blocks to 70 and nearly doubles its privately funded annual budget from approximately $4.8 million to more than $11 million. The expansion takes effect in January 2027.

Upcoming Events

Through June 2027

Jacob Hashimoto: Giant Arc at SFMOMA

📍 SFMOMA Roberts Family Gallery (Floor 1), 151 3rd St · Various times

Saturday, August 29

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market – Tomato Celebration

📍 Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building · 11:00 AM–1:00 PM

Thursday, September 3

Downtown First Thursdays

📍 2nd Street between Market and Howard Streets, SoMa/Downtown · 5:00 PM–10:00 PM

Tuesday, September 15

Salesforce Dreamforce 2026

📍 Moscone Center, 747 Howard St, and surrounding downtown venues · Various times

Ongoing

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (Ongoing, Tues/Thurs/Sat)

📍 Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building, Embarcadero · Tue & Thu 10:00 AM–2:00 PM; Sat 8:00 AM–2:00 PM

More from the Neighborhood

Financial District Weekday Workforce Up 18% as Return-to-Office Accelerates

A June report from real estate publication The Registry found that the weekday workforce in San Francisco's Financial District had climbed 18% year-over-year as return-to-office momentum builds across the neighborhood.

Embarcadero Plaza's $40 Million Redesign Moves Forward as Groundbreaking Eyes Late 2026

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission unanimously approved a final design for the $40 million Embarcadero Plaza waterfront park in June, and the project is now targeting a groundbreaking in late…

Downtown Visitor Numbers Surpassed 10 Million in First Half of 2026

The Downtown SF Partnership reported this week that nonresident visits to the Financial District and Jackson Square area exceeded 10 million in the first half of 2026, with average daily visits up…