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I've been in this city over 20 years. DJed through the first tech boom, the bust, the second boom, the pandemic exodus, and every hot take about whether SF was dead or back. Seen this cycle enough times to know — the people who stick around are the ones who shape what comes next.
And right now? Something shifted.
Let's start with the big stuff. Pier 80 — the 200,000 square foot warehouse where Portola happens — just had Swedish House Mafia on New Year's Eve, Skrillex the night before, then John Summit and Purple Disco Machine on New Year's Day across four stages. Calvin Harris and Diplo did Super Bowl weekend there. That venue isn't just for festivals anymore. It's becoming a year-round destination for massive shows, and it's changing what San Francisco means on the global music map.
And now Goldenvoice — the people behind Coachella and Portola — just launched Club Darc at Pier 48. It's a seasonal warehouse club running weekends through May. Peggy Gou, The Martinez Brothers, Armand Van Helden, Kaskade, Chris Lake, Solomun, Underworld — all in a raw industrial space on the waterfront next to Oracle Park. They partnered with the Giants to make it happen, and the lineup is insane.
Meanwhile, my guy Ben Bleiman — president of the SF Entertainment Commission, owns Harrington's on Front Street — has been pushing the city harder than anyone on nightlife. Front Street between California and Sacramento is now California's first official Entertainment Zone. They literally changed state law for this. You can walk around outside with a drink, live music on a closed street, block parties all year. I did an event there for Halloween — Nightmare on Front Street — with Ben and the bars down there. Mayor Lurie just signed five more entertainment zones across the city including the Castro. I've been doing events here two decades and I've never seen the city put this kind of real infrastructure behind going out.
The bar and restaurant scene is keeping up too. Remember Club Deluxe in the Haight? Closed in 2023. Coming back as The DeLuxe. Dante's Inferno is headed to Hayes Valley later this year — Jamaican-Italian, live music, rooftop bar. The Buddha opened on 11th in the old Slim's space. Cha Cha Cha in the Mission reinvented itself as Sangria and Salt. JouJou just opened in the Design District from the Lazy Bear and True Laurel team. Maria Isabel from the Dalida crew landed in Presidio Heights and the food is unreal. The Big Four on Nob Hill went dark in 2020 — it's back.
And the broader energy is shifting. AI money is flowing into the city, housing is tight, there's real talk about a new IPO wave later this year. For those of us who stayed through the downturn — being here right now matters more than it has in a long time.
I put something together for you.
25 spots — bars, clubs, late-night food, new restaurants, art worth seeing, and a few neighborhood places I've been going to for years. Where to eat, where to drink, where to go out, and what to do when you get there.
One more thing — if you want early access to our personal events like The GigaParty series, random parties, street festivals, and more, add yourself to our Luma calendar! That's where invites go out first.
We're also putting something together on how you can learn the basics of DJing — online or in person. More on that soon.
Join Our Luma CalendarMore coming next week. Event picks and some new stuff we're working on.
Stay close.
— DavidI wrote a book. The Professional Event DJ hit #1 on Amazon in its category on launch day. If you're in the events or music world, or just curious what goes into producing the things you love — check it out.
