66. Let’s Go San Francisco. Let’s Glow San Francisco!
The Doom Loop
Downtown San Francisco took a beating during the pandemic. Offices emptied out, crime followed, and I kept hearing, “San Francisco is in a doom loop—it’s done, it’ll never come back, its best days are past.” But anyone who knows this city’s history understood where this was heading. San Francisco has always cycled through booms and busts, reinvention after reinvention. That’s why the city’s flag is a phoenix rising from the ashes. And true to form, San Francisco has come back.
Bringing Life Back to Downtown.
Even in the depths of Covid, the neighborhoods continued to thrive while downtown, the Financial District, and tourist areas were hit hardest. The city didn’t sit still. It created new programs to bring people back—Thursday Night Out, night markets, entertainment zones, and public art installations.
The Myth vs. the Reality of San Francisco Right Now
These programs have been steadily bringing people back, and the rebound has been far stronger than most people outside the Bay Area realize. The AI boom is also filling offices again, driving hiring, and bringing new energy.
Yet when I talk with out-of-town friends, they still ask, “Isn’t San Francisco a terrible place to visit right now?” If that’s still your impression, come visit. I’d love to show you around.
Let’s Glow SF and the Return of Downtown Energy
One of the first big pushes to re-energize downtown launched in December 2020: Let’s Glow SF. It began during the darkest, coldest stretch of that first pandemic winter, when downtown felt empty and we all felt isolated. The Downtown SF Partnership commissioned artists to project large-scale animated works onto building façades, transforming the Financial District into an outdoor light-art gallery.
Now in its fifth year, it has grown into one of the largest projection-mapping festivals in the country. Last year it drew more than 87,000 visitors, and based on the crowds I saw last night, this year will likely be even bigger. If you’re in the Bay Area, go now—next Sunday, December 14, is the last night.
The art is spectacular, but the real joy is seeing downtown alive again at night—groups of young people leaving a trail of sweet-smelling smoke, parents with strollers, couples on dates. And next Saturday, December 14, you can add drunken Santas wrapping up SantaCon.
Below are scenes from Let’s Glow SF and nighttime San Francisco more broadly.
See the City Through a Photographer’s Eyes
After nearly 30 years here, I still think this is one of the most photogenic cities anywhere. If you want to see San Francisco—and learn how to photograph it—I’m running a three-day San Francisco photography workshop April 20–23. Three packed days of San Francisco photography, sites, and history.
Cost is $850 and limited to six participants. Start breaking in your shoes, and call me at 415-723-6009 or email josh@weinbergphoto.com for more details.
The phoenix metaphor is perfect here! What's facinating about Let's Glow SF is how it uses light as both literal illumination and metaphorical rebirth to change the narrative around downtown. Your photos capture something data can't: the feeling of a city rediscovering its energy after trauma. The fact that people are gathering at night in the Financial District again isn't just a recovery metric, it's proof that public space can be reclaimed through imaginative interventions that give peoplw a reason to show up.
Looks like a colorful, fun event!