Embarcadero Lights Usher in the Holiday Season

As the holiday season knocks on the front door, this weekend will be quiet. The lone bright spot (and we do mean bright) will be the Embarcadero Lighting ceremony on Friday.

If you’re in need of something to do, be sure to review these event calendars to discover what’s going on near you this weekend: FunCheapSF, EventBrite, SF Weekly and SFGate.

Event:

Embarcadero Lighting Ceremony on November 28, 2008. Photo credit: Ingrid Taylar/Flickr.

Embarcadero Center Lighting Ceremony
Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Justin Herman Plaza

The city skyline will get a little bit brighter at night as the four buildings of the Embarcadero Center are illuminated with 15,000 holiday lights. An annual tradition that marks the start of the city’s holiday season, this year’s Lighting Ceremony festivities begin at 4 p.m. with a family friendly carnival. Then it’s a special presentation of "Disney On Ice: Worlds of Enchantment" at the holiday ice rink at Justin Herman Plaza, featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters including Lightning McQueen, Ariel, and Buzz Lightyear.

After the free Disney show, a countdown will lead to the illumination of the four iconic buildings followed by an awe inspiring fireworks display that will light up the night sky even more.

Muni routes: Holiday revelers, families, and children of all ages can take the Muni Metro subway to Embarcadero Station, the E Line to the Ferry Builidng, the F Market or any other Market Street bus route as well as the 14 Mission and 14R Mission Rapid routes to Market and Steuart streets.

Muni service note: While there are no scheduled service re-routes, service may see minor delays due to increased ridership.

Upcoming Holiday Service Schedule and Parking Enforcement Alert:

Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving Day (November 24), Muni will operate on a Sunday schedule.

There will be no enforcement of parking restrictions for:

• Seven-day street sweeping;
• Parking meters (including those meters on Port of San Francisco property);
• Residential parking permits;
• Monday through Friday street sweeping;
• Commute hour tow-away

Black Friday

On “Black Friday,” November 25, Muni will operate on a regular weekday schedule, though there will be no express bus service.

Parking enforcement will be as follows:

• Enforced: Seven-day street sweeping restrictions and parking meters (including those meters on Port of San Francisco property).
• Not Enforced: Residential parking permits, Monday through Friday street sweeping, and commuter tow-away restrictions.

For complete parking enforcement details, visit the holiday enforcement schedule webpage. For complete details on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday Muni service, visit sfmta.com/thanksgiving

Van Ness Construction Reminder:

All left turn lanes on Van Ness Avenue have been removed with the exceptions of those at Broadway (southbound), Lombard (northbound), and temporarily at Hayes (northbound).

In addition to the left turn removals, there will be a re-configuration of traffic lanes from three to two lanes in both directions.

For complete details on these changes, please see our November 4 blog post.

Ocean Avenue Construction Reminder:

Eastbound Ocean Avenue between Geneva and San Jose avenues is now closed for one month due to the Balboa Park Station Area and Plaza Improvements project. Due to the partial street closure, three 29 Sunset and 49 Van Ness/Mission stops have been temporarily relocated.

For complete details on the stop relocations and traffic detours, please visit the project’s service alert page.

Temporary J Church and K Ingleside Service Changes Reminder:

Due to Balboa Park Station Area and Plaza Improvement construction work, there are now temporary stop changes in effect for the J Church and K Ingleside lines at Balboa Park Station. These stop changes will be in place through the end of the year. For details, please read our September 1 blog post.

On Tap for next week: Thanksgiving Day 5K Run and the Macy’s Tree Lighting Ceremony

“On Tap” gives you a heads up about the big events in town and what Muni routes and lines will get you to the party. Look for this feature to be posted usually on Wednesdays for a look ahead to the weekend. Check out our Weekend Traffic & Transit Advisory for more details.