The NBA All-Star Game and Chinese New Year festivities should make for a spectacular weekend in San Francisco, with celebrities descending in droves.
While the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade happen annually, this is the first time the All-Star Game will be played in the city. It arrives after a head-spinning trade deadline for the NBA, which sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and Jimmy Butler to the Warriors.
But with A-list stars come an array of transit changes and road closures. Here’s what San Franciscans need to know to survive the week.
When is everything happening?
The Chinese New Year Community Street Fair will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Chinatown. The 1.3-mile parade Saturday will start at 5 p.m. at Market and Second streets.
NBA festivities run Friday through Sunday. Tickets are available for individual events and for day- or weekend-long experiences. One-day tickets for the weekend-long NBA Crossover Event at Moscone Center — which will feature exclusive merchandise, player appearances, and other interactive experiences — start at $50, and can be purchased here.
There’s also a music festival at Pier 48 headlined by Noah Kahan, Zedd, and the Chainsmokers (one-day passes start at $75; three-day passes start at $250) and a host of other events throughout the weekend, including Friday’s big game.
Friday, Feb. 14
- 4 p.m.: The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is at the Oakland Arena. It will air on ESPN and will feature an eclectic crowd, including Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, Jerry Rice, Druski, and Kai Cenat. Tickets start at $85.
- 6 p.m: The Rising Stars semifinals and championship is at the Chase Center and will air on TNT. Tickets start at $88.
Saturday, Feb. 15
- 5 p.m.: All-Star Saturday Night is at the Chase Center. Airing on TNT, it includes the Skills Challenge, the 3-Point Contest, and a slam dunk contest. Ticket packages start at $700.
Sunday, Feb. 16
- 5 p.m.: The main event, the 74th NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center, will air on TNT. Ticket packages start at $800.
What are the transit changes?
While BART will make no changes to its routes for the week, several Muni routes will be affected, with many rerouting prior to reaching downtown. Routes on Market Street will instead operate on Mission Street.
SFMTA is offering free Muni rides across the city Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of cable cars. BART will also be running longer trains to expand capacity, and Muni is adding 9 trains to lower wait times.
Here are the affected routes:
Friday, Feb. 14
Saturday, Feb. 15
- S Shuttle, F Market & Wharves, T Third Street, California Cable Car, Powell / Hyde Cable Car, Powell / Mason Cable Car, 1 California, 2 Sutter, 5 Fulton, 6 Haight/Parnassus, 7 Haight/Noriega, 8 Bayshore, 9 San Bruno, 12 Folsom/Pacific, 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express, 22 Fillmore, 30 Stockton, 38 Geary, 38R Geary Rapid, 45 Union/Stockton, and 78X 16th Street Arena Express
Sunday, Feb. 16
In addition, Muni will be offering the 78X 16th Street Arena Express from Friday through Sunday, 2 to 11 p.m., to bring visitors to and from Chase Center via the 16th and Mission BART Station.
What roads will close?
The Lunar New Year parade route, which starts at Market and Second streets and goes through Union Square and Chinatown, will cause road closures before, during, and after Saturday’s event. The Community Street Fair, which will span Chinatown, will lead to closures Saturday and Sunday.
Around Moscone Center, the following streets will have closures from 6 a.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the SFMTA.
- Howard between Third and Fourth
- Third between Howard and Folsom (westernmost lane)
- Fourth between Howard and Folsom (easternmost lane)
- Folsom between Third and Fourth (northernmost travel lane and parking lane)
Additionally, Minna Street between New Montgomery and Third streets will be closed to cars from 6 a.m. Friday to 12 p.m. Sunday.
Around Pier 48, directly south of Oracle Park, the following streets will be closed from 6 a.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Monday:
- Mission Rock between Third and Terry A. Francois Boulevard
- Toni Stone Crossing between Third and Terry A. Francois Boulevard
- Terry A. Francois Boulevard between Mission Rock and Toni Stone Crossing
These are the closures around Chase Center, where the most popular All-Star events are set to take place:
- Current closures at 16th Street between Third and Terry A. Francois Boulevard, and Warriors Way between Third and Bridgeview Way, will continue through Monday.
- Terry A. Francois Boulevard between 16th and Mission Bay Boulevard South (southbound) will be closed Friday through Monday.
- Terry A. Francois Boulevard between 16th and Warriors Way will be closed from 8 a.m. Friday until the conclusion of events each day from Friday to Sunday.
- Third Street between 16th and Warriors Way (northbound) will be closed from 3 p.m. Friday until the conclusion of events each day from Friday to Sunday.
- Illinois Street between 16th and Mariposa will be closed from 2 p.m. Friday until the conclusion of events each day from Friday to Sunday.
Several streets in the Financial District will be closed for the Chinese New Year parade Saturday from 2 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m.
- Market Street between Second Street and Geary
- Geary Boulevard between Market and Powell
- Powell Street between Geary and Post
- Post Street between Kearny to Powell
- Kearny Street between Geary and Pacific
Additionally, a number of streets in Chinatown will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday for the Community Street Fair:
- Walter U. Lum Place between Washington and Clay
- Grant Avenue between Broadway and Clay
- Pacific Avenue between Stockton and Columbus
- Jackson Street between Stockton and Kearny
- Washington Street between Stockton and Kearny
- Commercial Street between Grant and Kearny
- Beckett Street between Pacific and Jackson
- Ross Alley between Jackson and Washington
- Wentworth Place between Jackson and Washington
- Spofford Street between Washington and Clay
- Waverly Place between Washington and Clay