San Francisco

SF hopeful for business boom during NBA All-Star, Lunar New Year parade weekend

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One weekend in February could be one of the biggest revenue generators in San Francisco all year. Sergio Quintana reports.

One weekend in February could be one of the biggest revenue generators in San Francisco all year.

On Feb. 15, more than 100,000 people are expected to descend on the city for the Lunar New Year parade. One day later, basketball's biggest stars will gather at Chase Center for the NBA All-Star Game.

Andy Chun with Splash at Thrive City is looking forward to being in the middle of it all.

"I think it's a really big deal for the city and for our businesses," he said.

The All-Star Game is Sunday, Feb. 16, but Chun said his bar and restaurant is booked up for days leading up to the event because of all the other All-Star weekend festivities.

For Chase Center, the festivities begin days before the main event. A concert series will happen at nearby Pier 48 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Moscone Center will also host its NBA Crossover fan experiences all three days.

Businesses close to the convention center are also looking forward to a boost.

"We're super happy when the city is hosting large conferences, and that portion of the All-Star weekend, that's what it is," The Grove chef and managing partner David Cohen said. "It's a big conference here at Moscone."

Cohen said they're doubling down on downtown rebounding after what's been a slow and tough recovery from the pandemic. They've expanded their space, added a bar and extended their hours.

All-Star weekend is anticipated to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the city and the Bay Area overall.
A Temple University study of the economic impact the event had on Indianapolis – the host of last year's All-Star weekend – showed the city and region took in about $403 million from the game and its associated events.

This year's All-Star weekend will be a regional experience with Oakland Arena also hosting events.

"It's a great opportunity for our region to shine bright on the world stage," said Alex Bastian with the Hotel Council of San Francisco.

Bastian said the city is ideally set up to host big events.

"We do have some of the best hotels in the world," he said. "And what's incredible about our hotels and the infrastructure that is San Francisco is the walkability and the proximity of these hotels to our venues."

With the Lunar New Year parade happening at the same time, city leaders said they've been planning for months to make sure people see a clean and safe San Francisco.

People should be ready for a few changes in transit and expect to see preparations for security.

"We're a very dense, relatively small city," Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll said. "When we have a lot of people come in, it makes things a little more challenging with traffic and that kind of thing."

She recommends people check out sf.gov to plan for the events and figure out how to get around the city.

As business owners and city leaders gear up for the busy weekend, they hope it will serve as a showcase for the city and encourage people to visit more often.

"All-Star weekend, these conferences are a good reminder of what we can be," Chun said. "It's a great advertisement for people who don't live here to come and see the city again."

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