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San Francisco takes over Union Square Christmas tree after Macy's ends sponsorship

San Francisco takes over Union Square Christmas tree after Macy's ends sponsorship

Money Moves San Francisco, CA local

City funds real tree for first time in decades, with no official lighting event planned

Yesterday: City to install real Christmas tree after Macy's ends sponsorship

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

For more than 30 years, Macy's paid for the Christmas tree in San Francisco's Union Square. This year, the city is paying for a real tree instead, and there is no official lighting ceremony planned.

The change shifts a holiday tradition from a department store to city funds. It also tests whether San Francisco can keep the square's holiday appeal without the corporate sponsor that built it.

Why it matters

A 30-year corporate holiday tradition in San Francisco's main square now depends on city funds, with no ceremony planned.

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Key Indicators

30+
Years of Macy's sponsorship
Macy's funded the Union Square tree for more than three decades.
19
Seasons of Safeway Holiday Ice Rink
The ice rink opened for its 19th season in November 2026.
0
Official tree-lighting events planned
The city has not announced a formal ceremony for the tree.

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People Involved

Brian Boitano
Brian Boitano
Olympic gold medalist and San Francisco native
Appeared at ice rink opening

Organizations Involved

Macy's
Macy's
Department store
Ended 30-year sponsorship of Union Square Christmas tree

Macy's is a major American department store chain.
City of San Francisco
City of San Francisco
Municipal government
Taking over cost of Union Square Christmas tree

The city government of San Francisco.

Timeline

2 events Latest: Yesterday

  1. City to install real Christmas tree after Macy's ends sponsorship

    Latest Announcement

    SFist reports San Francisco will fund a real tree in Union Square, with no official lighting event planned.

  2. Safeway Holiday Ice Rink opens for 19th season

    Event

    The ice rink opened in Union Square with Olympic skater Brian Boitano attending.

Scenarios

1

City funds real tree again for 2027 holidays

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: No public discussion yet

If the real tree draws positive attention and the city budget allows, San Francisco could make the real tree an annual tradition. The test will be whether the city allocates money for it in the next budget cycle.

2

No official tree-lighting ceremony held in 2026

Likely Resolves by Dec 1, 2026

Discussed by: SFist

The city has not announced a formal event for the tree lighting. If none is held, it would mark a break from the Macy's-era celebrations.

3

Macy's returns as tree sponsor in 2027

Unlikely Resolves by Nov 1, 2027

Discussed by: None

Macy's could reverse its decision and resume sponsorship, but the company has given no indication of doing so. This scenario is unlikely given the trend of corporate cost-cutting.

Historical Context

One moment from history that rhymes with this story — and how it unfolded.

November-December 2020

Union Square holiday traditions during COVID-19 (2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic forced San Francisco to cancel or modify holiday events. The Union Square ice rink was closed, and the tree lighting ceremony was held virtually without a crowd.

Then

The tree was still lit, but without the usual public gathering.

Now

The square's holiday traditions continued in modified form, showing they could survive without large events.

Why this matters now

This year's shift to a city-funded tree with no official ceremony is another adaptation of a tradition that has already shown flexibility.

Sources

(1)
SFist