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Easter in San Francisco: Tips to Celebrate Easter in SF in 2024

Jill on a windy day at the Golden Gate Bridge

by Jill Loeffler  •

Updated: March 4, 2024

This is your one-stop guide to all of the top activities scheduled for Easter in San Francisco. Here you'll find recommendations for Sunday brunch, an overview of the top events scheduled for the weekend, and some ideas on where to attend a service.

This year, Easter falls on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

You will also find that most restaurants, attractions, and tours run throughout the holiday weekend. In my experience, there are very few closings during the Easter holiday, so you will find plenty of fun things to do.

The cross on Mount Davidson where the Easter Celebration is held in SF.

Many organizations are still finalizing their plans for Easter. Please bookmark this page and visit often as new events and activities will be added soon!

Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

Fun Brunch and Lunch Spots For Easter Sunday

Here are some of the top places to grab brunch and lunch on Easter Sunday in San Francisco. Each recommendation includes the neighborhood, cuisine, and a per-meal pricing estimate (not including drinks).

  • Cassava: North Beach, Californian
  • Laurel Court in the Fairmont Hotel: Nob Hill, American, Easter Day menu
  • Palm House: Marina, Caribbean, brunch menu
  • The Garden Court in the Palace Hotel: South of Market (SoMa), Californian, Easter Buffet Brunch
  • Villon: Civic Center, Californian, Easter Brunch Buffet for $125 per person

Here are a few more of my favorite brunch spots in the city.

Fun Events for Easter Weekend

Here are some of the top events this Easter weekend in San Francisco!

SF Theater: The 39 Steps

You will find several wonderful theater performances this Easter in San Francisco. The biggest show is The 39 Steps, a murder mystery with a nationwide manhunt and a surprising finale! 

You will find two performances (3 pm and 8 pm) on Saturday and one performance at 2 pm Easter Sunday at the SF Playhouse. 

>> Find tickets to all performances

>> Additional theater performances in SF

Sunset Sail

Sunday night is the perfect time to unwind and enjoy a lovely sunset while cruising on the SF Bay. This 2-hour cruise starts and ends in Fisherman's Wharf.

I love taking this casual cruise as you get to cruise past top SF attractions including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the Palace of Fine Arts. You will also get amazing views of downtown San Francisco.

It's cool on the water all year long, so I always dress warm on these cruises. While you can sit indoors if you are cold, I love sitting outdoors to get unobstructed views of the waterfront.

I typically wear long pants, comfortable shoes (so I can walk around the deck to check out a variety of viewpoints), medium weight long sleeve shirt and a wind breaker or medium weight jacket. 

This cruise leaves at 7 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday. 

>> On sale for Easter night on GetYourGuide

Concerts on Easter Weekend

>> Find additional concerts this April in SF

Easter in Dolores Park with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

This annual festival is put on by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (a "leading-edge order of queer nuns") and is on Sunday, March 31. It runs from 10 am to 4 pm.

The first part of the event is the Children's Easter event. This lasts from 10 am until around noon and features a visit from the Easter bunny, an Easter egg hunt and other family friendly activities. 

After the Children's Easter event concludes, the day gets more and more adult focused. They advise that it might not be suitable for those under 16. 

The adult portion of the event starts with a variety show. Other activities include The Easter Bonnet Contest (no need to register, just show up with your best Easter Bonnet), the Foxy Mary and Hunky Jesus contests. 

You can enjoy other live entertainment, drag, burlesque, music, and more. All events are held at Dolores Park.

Dye Hard: Easter Egg Hunt and Festival

Enjoy some Easter fun at the Apwa Gardens at 967 Mission Street.

Their Dye Hard: Easter Egg Hunt and Family Fun Festival is on Sunday, March 24 from 11 am to 4 pm. 

The event is free, but they do request that you register in advance.

Find out more here

Spring Fling at Salesforce Park

This is another great event for the kids this Easter in San Francisco. This event offers an Easter egg hunt, face painting, craft stations, food, and so much more.

The event takes place at TIJA's Salesforce Park from 10 am to 2 pm. It's free and open to the public.

This event is on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

>> Visit their site to learn more

Children's Easter Egg Hunt

The Easter Bunny will be the special guest again this year at this annual children's Easter Egg Hunt.

The event is at the Page and Laguna Mini Park. It's sponsored by Unity SF (which is also across the street).

The event starts at 1:30 pm on Sunday, March 31. This event is free and starts after their 11 am Easter Celebration Service.

>> Visit their official site to learn more

Spring Fling at Crocker Amazon Playground

This is another kid and family-friendly event in San Francisco. It's an annual event at the Crocker Amazon Playground at 799 Moscow Street at Geneva. 

This Saturday, March 30 event features egg hunts, games, crafts, and live entertainment. You will also find food for sale during the events.

This year it is free and runs from 10 am to 3 pm.

>> Find out more here

Meet & Greet with the Easter Bunny

Another fun family friendly idea for Easter in San Francisco is this fun event at the zoo. It's a Meet and Greet with the Easter Bunny!

This event is on March 31st and runs from 10 am to 1 pm. It features crafts for the kids and giveaways. You will find all activities at the Zoo's Entry Village.

It's free with your admission ticket to the SF Zoo for that day.

Top Places to Stay in Fisherman's Wharf

Other Fun SF Tours

If you plan to stay the entire weekend in San Francisco, you will find several fun tours to check out during your stay. Here are just a few that I love and that are very popular. 

Tours for Easter Weekend

SF Bay Cruise

Cruise Length: 60 minutes

Tickets: Find tickets for Easter Weekend

The best and most popular cruise around the SF Bay is this 60-minute journey. I love this one since it offers you a great overview of the waterfront attractions. It's also so much fun to cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge (twice!). 

While I typically sit in the outdoor area, you will also find an indoor section to sit in if it's too cold outside. I recommend that you dress warm, as it will be cool on the water.

Another reason I like this tour is that it runs several times during the day, so you can select a time that fits into your schedule. 

It starts and ends in Fisherman's Wharf.

Muir Woods and Sausalito Half Day Tour

Length: Half Day or usually around 5 hours, it take longer if you decide to get off in Sausalito to explore on your own

Tickets: Find out more and check for ticket availability

Visiting Muir Woods National Monument is a breath taking experience. Every time I visit, I'm drawn in by the beauty of these tall and colorful Coastal Redwoods. 

If you've never seen a redwood in person, this is one of the first places I recommend you visit.

Even though Muir Woods is less than 20 miles north of San Francisco, getting here on your own can be tricky. It's why I recommend this half day tour. It makes the process of visiting SO much easier.

This tour takes you across the Golden Gate Bridge and you typically stop at Vista Point for a view of the bridge. I like this stop as it's fast, but you get a different view of the bridge from this angle. 

You'll then continue on to Muir Woods. The tour offers you about 90 minutes on your own to check out the redwoods. This is plenty of time to check them out and I love the fact that this is self-guided as I prefer to go at my own pace.

The trails are flat, wide, and well marked, so you will not get lost and you will get to see the most beautiful trees in this redwood forest.

This tour also includes a short trip around Sausalito and the chance to spend a little time here checking out this city. This is usually where I get off the bus and then I take the Sausalito ferry back to San Francisco.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Length: 2.5 hours for the full loop tour, but you can use your ticket all day

Tickets: Find tickets to the Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour

If this is your first time to San Francisco, one of the best ways to get a feel for the city is on the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour. In my experience, it offers you a wonderful way to easily get from top attraction to top attraction in just one day.

The entire loop tour is about 2.5 hours. I find that this depends on traffic, so sometimes it might take a little longer, but this is a good estimate based on the times I've taken this tour.

It offers open air seating on the top (so don't forget your jacket) and narration while you are riding around. Once you get to the stop you want to visit, you simply jump off, explore the area, and then jump back on a bus once you are ready to continue on your way.

You can start and end at any location along the route. Your ticket is good for all day, so I recommend starting the tour first thing in the morning. 

Sunrise Service at Mount Davidson

The 101th Annual Easter Sunrise Service at the Mt. Davidson cross starts at 7 am. On Easter morning, join thousands of other locals and visitors for this non-denominational service at the highest point in San Francisco.

The best way to get here is to take a Muni train to the Forest Hill Station. From there, you can pick up a free shuttle ride to the park gate.

The Mt. Davidson Cross on the hill in San Francisco.

The shuttle service starts at 5:30 am and runs from this Muni station every 15 minutes. It will drop you off at Lansdale Avenue, Myra Drive, and Dalewood Way. From here, you need to climb the stairs and the trail to get to the service.

The shuttle service will also take you back to the station after the service, so you can easily make your way back to your hotel.

There is some hiking required once you arrive, so prepare for a small, uphill hike to the cross once you enter the trail. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes too to make the journey to the top more pleasant.

Are you looking for a more traditional services? If so, take a look at some of these other churches in San Francisco.

More Fun Things to Do in San Francisco this Easter

Alcatraz Island

Head over to Alcatraz Island this weekend to check out this fun, historic prison. Learn what it was like to be a prisoner here and explore its beautiful gardens. More here.

California Academy of Sciences

You could spend all day here and never get bored. Visit the 4-story rainforest, check out the earthquake exhibit, and see its living roof.

You'll also want to say hi to their white alligator named Claude, walk through the tunnels in the aquarium, and stop by the natural history museum.

Find advanced tickets to secure your spot.

Learn more.

Lombard Street

This one block-long section of Lombard Street is one of the crookedest streets in the world! It's fun to visit, and the flowers are usually in bloom during this time.

Find out more about visiting here.

SF Museums

Discover one of our world class museums this Easter in San Francisco. All are open this Sunday and you can explore modern art, admire pieces from the ancient world, or learn how the cable cars run.

Find the full list of our best museums here.

Street Art

You can also stroll our city streets and check out the best street art around! Top picks include the Mission District, Chinatown, and North Beach. Find out more about these and other places to find out colorful art.

>> Additional fun things to do in SF

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

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Easter San Francisco Pin

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