FIVE NEW ENTERTAINMENT ZONES were established in San Francisco last week that will allow to-go alcoholic beverages to be sold during special events.
Mayor Daniel Lurie lauded the zones as a way to stimulate the city’s nightlife and generate revenue for businesses in the vicinity of the zones. The mayor kicked off a previously approved entertainment zone in the Castro District to complement the Castro Night Market that is held monthly on the third Friday of the month.
The ability of cities and counties to create so-called entertainment zones was established by a pair of state laws authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, that were passed in 2023 and 2024. San Francisco established the state’s first such zone in 2024 on Front Street.
The new zones will be located along Valencia Street, Pier 39, Ellis Street, Folsom Street, and Yerba Buena Lane, the mayor’s office said in a news release.
“Entertainment zones bring joy and life to our streets block by block, and I’m excited to kick off the Castro Upper Market Zone and create five more entertainment zones, supporting local business while bringing fun to neighborhoods across our city,” Lurie said in a statement.
The mayor’s office said 21,000 people have visited events at the Front Street zone that have generated profit boosts of 1,500% for participating businesses.
This Castro Night Market was launched in October and features food vendors, merchants and live music. It is sponsored by the Castro Merchants Association, Civic Joy Fund, and CG Events. The new entertainment zone, which will allow to-go alcoholic beverages to be sold by participating businesses, is currently the city’s largest.
Nate Bourg, president of the Castro Merchants Association, said the district was the perfect place for a entertainment zone.
The historic Castro Theatre is San Francisco, Calif.’s oldest and longest-operating single-screen movie house and an LGTBQ+ landmark. (Pete Young/Bay City News)
“The Castro has always been a place where culture and community live loud and proud. That’s why we advocated for such a large entertainment zone footprint — it reflects the broad scope of our neighborhood and gives dozens of bars and restaurants more opportunities to shine,” Bourg said in a statement.
Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro District, said the Night Market made an immediate, positive impact on the community, and pairing it with an entertainment zone will only improve it.
“The Castro Night Market has been an amazing addition to the life of America’s best gayborhood,” said Mandelman. “The entertainment zone will allow the night market to further support the neighborhood’s bars and restaurants and should have positive benefits for the Castro Street Fair later this year.”
With the addition of the five new zones, there will be 21 entertainment zones approved in the city.
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